Adam Thielen Revelation, Michael Penix Jr., The Fate of Jaren Hall

VikingsTerritories Purple rumor mill is a two-day chronicle each week. All of the week’s Vikings rumors are lassoed and crammed into two places — Saturday and Sunday articles — for review. Today is the July 20th edition.

Purple Rumor Mill: Adam Thielen Reveal, Michael Penix Jr., Jaren Hall’s Fate

Remember: rumors are rumors. What you read in these pieces over the weekend is what the world is talking about regarding the purple team, not necessarily items that will come to fruition.

Here is the first batch of the week. All previous rumors can be read here.

Rumor: Adam Thielen wanted to join the Kansas City Chiefs after leaving the Vikings in 2023.

According to the man, Thielen wanted to become Kansas City police chief in March 2023.

The former Viking played a golf tournament last week and was asked if he wanted to play against the Chiefs in 2024. He replied: “Well, I wanted to go there, but they didn’t want me, so I’ll have to try and show what I’ve got.”

The revelation is somewhat Captain Obvious — Many pundits and fans speculated in March 2023 that Thielen + the Chiefs would mesh nicely. However, that didn’t work out and thanks to Thielen’s off-the-cuff comment, people found out that Kansas City was the entity that said “no thanks.”

Thielen later signed a three-year, $25 million contract with the Carolina Panthers.

Meanwhile, many Vikings fans are hoping Thielen will return to the Vikings‘ lineup via trade, as the club potentially needs a WR3. The Panthers added Diontae Johnson and Xavier Lagette this offseason, making it almost certain that Thielen’s workload will decrease.

Rumor: Minnesota preferred Michael Penix Jr. over JJ McCarthy in the draft.

This one came from SKOR north‘S Judd Zulgad. He said on Purple Daily this week, “I’ve heard rumors on Penix that the Vikings liked him, and they liked his arm. And they liked him better than McCarthy.”

Penix Jr. ended up with the Atlanta Falcons — Kirk Cousins’ team — after a shocking development on draft night. Draft heads expected the Falcons to draft an EDGE rusher like Alabama’s Dallas Turner, who ended up with the Vikings, but Atlanta surprised everyone by drafting the oldest quarterback in the class to sit behind Cousins.

Penix Jr. was on the Vikings’ radar leading up to the draft, but according to the draft community, it was only as a contingency plan.

And let’s face it, whether Minnesota chose Penix Jr. over McCarthy is really debatable.

Rumor: Jaren Hall will be part of the Vikings’ 53-player roster, with Nick Mullens the odd one out.

Former Vikings general manager Jeff Diamond made waves with this theory a few days ago.

Diamond writes weekly Vikings Territory and also contributes to The 33rd team. He wrote this week: “Veteran Nick Mullens and sophomore Jaren Hall will also battle for the third position (with the cheaper Hall likely coming out on top).”

Diamond also cited the club’s potential $940,000 salary cap savings with Hall over Mullens — money that could be used on outside free agents — and called Mullens an “unnecessary luxury” at QB3.

Hall looked decent for a Week 9 drive against the Atlanta Falcons last November. But in the final stretch of 2023, Minnesota handed Hall the stick in a crucial game against the Green Bay Packers, and he went completely flat on the floor. That’s sometimes the case for rookies, though, especially late-rounders.

Mullens versus Hall could be a real battle, so Diamond might be right with Hall as QB3.

Dustin Bakker is a political scientist who graduated from the University of Minnesota in 2007. Subscribe to his daily YouTube channel, VikesNowHe host a podcast with Bryant McKinnie, which airs every Wednesday with Raun Sawh And Sal herbsHis obsession with MIN dates back to 1996. His guilty pleasures: Peanut Butter Ice Cream, ‘The Sopranos’, Basset Hounds and The Doors (the band).

All statistics provided by Pro Football Reference / Stathead; all contractual information provided by OverTheCap.com.