HH. Adam Thielen says watching Justin Jefferson carve his path toward NFL history is nothing short of breathtaking, a rare moment where talent, mindset, and destiny collide before our eyes.
Coming into the 2025 NFL season, an argument could be made that the Minnesota Vikings had one of the most talented wide receiving corps in the league. Superstar Justin Jefferson
is firmly in the conversation for the best player in the NFL at his position, while Jordan Addison is starting to make a name for himself as a promising young wideout.
Along with these two stars catching passes from talented young quarterback J.J. McCarthy, the team elected to bring back veteran wide receiver Adam Thielen, which added more depth and experience downfield for the
Adam Thielen Opens Up About Relationship With Justin Jefferson
Along with being able to play for his hometown team again after a short stint with the Carolina Panthers
, Thielen has nothing but respect for Jefferson.
The veteran wideout opened up about his relationship and friendship with the superstar wide receiver during the Vikings’ media availability on Thursday.
“Justin and I, obviously, we’ve built such a great relationship,” Thielen said. “The friendship was there like I never left when I got back. The appreciation for each other, not just on the field, but off the field as well.
“Thankful to be around him. It’s been really fun to be back and just reminisce on the times we were together before and build on that this year. He’s matured so much, and he’s a father now, and there are so many things that are so cool to see with his growth over the last few years.”
Thielen was also asked about Jefferson being on the cusp of making NFL history this season, with legends Jerry Rice and Calvin Johnson in his sights in terms of receiving yards through six seasons in the league.
He’s on a path and trajectory to be one of the greatest of all time, especially, obviously, in this organization, but really in the entire NFL,” Thielen said of Jefferson. “Thankful to be a part of it. Again, you root for guys that are great teammates and great guys on and off the field. He’s a guy who works extremely hard, so nothing was just given to him. He’s worked for it, he’s earned it. He deserves it, and just proud to be a part of it.”
Vikings Aim to Bounce Back in Second Game Overseas
After losing to the Pittsburgh Steelers in Week 4 in Dublin, Ireland, the Vikings will take their overseas tour to Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London, England, to take on the
With McCarthy still on the mend with the ankle injury, Minnesota will turn to Carson Wentz once again in Week 5. Despite throwing two interceptions in the three-point loss to the
Steelers, Wentz played well against T.J. Watt and company, finishing with 350 yards and two touchdowns.
As long as Wentz can limit the turnovers against another good defense led by a superstar pass rusher in
Myles Garrett, the Vikings, who are the favorites (-3.5) as of Thursday, have a chance to get a win and improve to 3-2 on the season.
Stefanski’s 5 Words Shake Up Browns QB Room
The Cleveland Browns are making a quarterback change ahead of their Week 5 game in England against the Minnesota Vikings.
The Browns have benched Joe Flacco, and Dillon Gabriel will be making his first career start. Shedeur Sanders, meanwhile, will remain the inactive emergency third quarterback on the depth chart.
Although many fans are surprised that Sanders will remain inactive, Browns coach Kevin Stefanski opened up on the quarterback situation. He claimed that the team has been ‘very intentional about every minute’ with what Gabriel and Sanders have been doing.
“The big thing for us, it goes back to that intentionality of what we do,” Stefanski said. “That’s [quarterbacks coach] Bill Musgrave, that’s [offensive coordinator] Tommy Rees, that’s our player development team. Everybody understanding that we’re bringing our guys along. And it may, on one day, mean meetings, may, on one day, mean a physical individual drill — if you will, at practice, while this side’s doing this, these guys are doing that. So, just like, big picture being very intentional about every minute that you have.”
It’s clear that the Browns have had a plan for how they will handle the quarterback situation this season. Cleveland could look to get both Gabriel and Sanders starts this season, but for now, Gabriel will be the starter for the time being.
Gabriel Explains How He Stayed Ready
Gabriel spent the first four weeks as the backup quarterback, waiting for his chance.
Although Gabriel did get into two games, it was when the games were out of hand. But, during practices, Gabriel said he took every rep he could as he wanted to make sure he would be ready if the time came, he would start.
“Yeah, a lot of walk-throughs, a lot of meetings you got to be really tuned into,” Gabriel said to the media. “And then I think, just, you look at all the work, from beginning of OTAs and working minicamp to now. I think that’s all installation that you can really pride yourself on, and the reps built up. So moments that build up, and then to get here, but like I said, it’s extreme focus on just doing my job at a high level and continue to do that for one another.”
Gabriel has gone 3-for-4 for 19 yards and one touchdown in two games.
Browns Coach Explains How Sanders Can Earn Playing Time
Although Stefanski says the team has been very intentional in how they have handled the quarterback situation, many have wondered what Sanders needs to do to rise up the depth chart.
Stefanski says the rookie QB just needs to continue working hard in practice as he has been doing.
“All of our players, and I include Shedeur in this, are working extremely hard. We just finished our period after practice that we do every single day, just finished a red zone 7-on-7 period where Shedeur and the rest of the younger guys are working on 10 reps,” Stefanski said. “So, he needs to continue to do exactly what he’s been doing and continue to do what all these guys are doing, which is just keep working.”
Sanders was selected in the fifth round of the 2025 NFL Draft by the Browns.
