Transcript: Thielen on Diggs’ Extension and Vikings’ Receivers

Vikings receiver Adam Thielen met the media Thursday and fielded questions Stefon Diggs‘ extension and his fellow receivers. These are just some of those questions and responses.

Note: We arranged questions according to topic. They did not happen in the exact order they appear here. However, we have not altered questions from Vikings reporters. These are also not all questions reporters asked Thielen. Rather, these are questions we viewed as most pertinent at the given moment in camp.

Q: What are your thoughts on Stefon Diggs signing his extension?

A: Honestly, couldn’t be happier for him. Couldn’t be happier for him, his family. Couldn’t be happier for us as Vikings players because we’re glad he’s on our team. A guy that works as hard as he does. I’ve never seen anybody grind the way he does in the offseason, during the season. So, if there’s anybody that deserves getting a contract like that, it’s him.

Q: With a few receivers in the league signing big deals, does it make you reevaluate your value?

A: Honestly, for me, I’m worried about football. I’m worried about coming out here and practicing, grinding every single day. That’s why I pay an agent, that’s why I have an agent. He takes care of that stuff so I don’t have to worry about it. When I signed my contract before last season, that’s why I did it. Because I didn’t want to have to worry about money. I didn’t have to want to worry about my contract. I wanted to just go out and play football. It allowed me to do that. So, I want to keep continuing to do that, just playing football and focus on things that I want to control. Let the other people that that’s what their job is to take care of that.

Q: How have you and Diggs been able to drive each other?

A: It’s crazy, I think it goes from not only when we’re here in the building, I think it starts in the offseason and how we work off the field. I see him doing stuff on Instagram and things like that. It makes me think, man I better get my butt out there and be doing the same things. When we’re in the building in meeting rooms, we hold each other accountable. Diggs is the first one to tell me I ran a terrible route. That’s how you want it to be. That’s exactly how you want it to be. You want a guy that’s going to push you and, like I said, hold you accountable.

Q: What has it been like to work with the new veteran wide receivers in the building Kendall Wright and Tavarres King?

A: It’s always great to have veterans in the room, guys that have been other places like you said. You can learn so much from guys like that. They’ve seen a lot of football, they’ve seen a lot of different coverages. They’ve seen pretty much every look that the NFL can bring you. I’m learning a lot from those guys and again, those are two guys that come to work every day and grind. I love that. We have a receiver room that’s not afraid to work. That’s not always the case in that room, it hasn’t always been that way. Very blessed and thankful to have those guys in the room and I can learn a lot.

Q: What progress have you seen from Laquon Treadwell?

A: I actually talked to him yesterday. I think the biggest thing is confidence. You see the way that he walks around the building, you see the way that he practices. He just has confidence. He knows he’s a good player. He’s always known that but he didn’t always walk around with that when he was a young player. It’s so fun for me to see a guy like that grow from year to year. He’s just having fun. Before, I don’t know if he was necessarily having fun. He was getting frustrated and things like that. It’s, obviously, great to see him having success out here. I know he’s going to continue to do that and build.

Q: What have you seen from Jake Wieneke?

A: Well, I love his mindset. He’s a great kid, he loves the game of football, loves the game of football. He’s made a lot of plays out here which is fun to see. He’s a guy that had a lot of success in college. I think if he can do the little things right he could have a lot of success at this level.

Q: Have you talked to him a lot and if so what have those conversations been like?

A: It’s really not just him, it’s all those young guys. I kind of just keep it open for them to ask me whatever. I’m kind of up front with that with all the players. If they have any questions, don’t be afraid to ask. Whether that be stuff on the field or off the field, I’m going to try to help in any way I possibly can. He’s taken advantage of that as other guys have.

Q: What is the most frequently asked question from those guys?

A: I would say the most frequent is how did I make it from being undrafted. How did I get the opportunities I got, and I don’t really have a good answer for that I don’t know. I guess my biggest response would probably be, a lot of the things I talk to you guys about, taking it one day at a time. Not worrying about am I going to make the team, am I not going to make the team. Just controlling the things that you can control. I look back in my career, and I am more nervous about me being rookie than I was actually being a rookie. Because I was so in the moment that I wasn’t worried about making the team or not making the team.

–Sam Smith is the Managing Editor for Full Press Coverage Vikings and Deputy Editor for Full Press Coverage NFL. Like and Follow @samc_smith Follow @fpc_vikings