Vikings receiver the latest salary-cap casualty

Adam Thielen was released by the Vikings on Friday and is the most recent member of the 2022 playoff team to have his time with the organization come to an end this offseason.

The team released veteran linebacker Eric Kendricks last week and outside linebacker Za'Darius Smith requested his release this week, signaling his desire in an apparent farewell post to Vikings fans. The team reportedly is uninterested in honoring his request after the two sides agreed on a three-year contract last offseason.

Thielen hasn't had a 1,000-yard season since he did so in back-to-back seasons in 2017 and 2018 but has retained a huge role in the offense with an average of 103.3 targets per season the last three years.

Teammate Justin Jefferson emerged as arguably the best receiver in football last season, making Thielen expendable and moving on from him a necessity. Jefferson is expected to command one of the biggest wide receiver contracts in NFL history when he signs his next contract. He's entering the final season of his rookie deal where he's due to make roughly $4.2 million, per Over The Cap.

Tyreek Hill has the highest annual contract value for a wide receiver at an average of $30 million per season and Jefferson may surpass that with his new contract, which could come as soon as this offseason.
The Vikings appeared poised for a rebuild after their season ended in a wild-card loss and they're in the beginning stages of doing exactly that with their recent moves.

Despite winning 13 games last season, Minnesota was on thin ice for the majority of the year. The Vikings allowed more points (427) than they scored (424) and ran out of steam in a home wild-card game against the Giants.
 
The team went as far as it reasonably could have gone a season ago. For Minnesota to go even further, it needed to rid itself of some precious cargo. Losing Thielen is tough but considering where the team is at, was the only choice the franchise could make.