Adam Thielen helped Justin Jefferson in his early years with the Vikings. Now their roles have changed.

Vikings star wide receiver Justin Jefferson learned the same way everyone else did that his old pal and mentor Adam Thielen was coming back to Minnesota.

No text heads up. No tip from anyone.

But as soon as the news was confirmed, he was on the phone with Thielen laughing like a little kid, just two friends reunited.

“It definitely brings back a lot of memories of him being in this building,” Jefferson said. “Being with him my early years of being here, him teaching me so many different things and him really taking me under his wing, it definitely feels great to have someone that I recognize in the building again, especially a friend like him.”

Thielen was the Vikings’ veteran wide receiver when Jefferson was drafted No. 22 overall by Minnesota in 2020. When Thielen spoke last Thursday following his trade back to the Vikings from the Carolina Panthers, he said reuniting with Jefferson felt like they had “never been on a different team.”

Thielen was a guiding hand as Jefferson learned the ropes of being a professional player. He watched him grow from a top rookie to a certified star through his first three seasons.

What Thielen missed is Jefferson’s climb into a leadership role of his own.

That’s been a big story line this offseason from Jefferson attending organized team activities to remaining an active presence at training camp even while unable to participate because of a hamstring injury. He has returned to practice in the past few weeks and said the hamstring “feels great.”

While nothing’s changed in Thielen and Jefferson’s friendship, their roles within the locker room have changed since they last shared it.

“We were kind of laughing about it, but he’s been helping me out with the plays, which is just funny because it was obviously opposite early in his career,” Thielen said. “That was really cool for him to kind of be teaching me this offense.”

Myles Price earned a coveted 53-man roster spot as the Vikings’ go-to returner. The first official depth chart of the season lists him as the No. 1 at both punt and kick return.

“I feel like I put a lot of good things on film, so of course I was a little nervous, the unknown, but I had a feeling it was gonna happen,” Price said. “When I first found out I was coming here, I had my mind set on it. It was almost that undeniable type thing.”

Daniels said Price has an attitude where “no moment feels too big for him,” which is part of why he has confidence in the rookie in such a pivotal part of the game.

Price took the lead on the punt return role after Rondale Moore suffered a season-ending knee injury in the first preseason game. Price now wears the No. 4 jersey Moore was set to wear; it was Price’s college number.

Thielen is listed as the team’s backup punt returner. Running back Ty Chandler and rookie wide receiver Tai Felton are listed as the Nos. 2 and 3 kick returners. Zavier Scott is expected to join that group when he returns from a minor knee injury suffered in the preseason against the Tennessee Titans.

Vikings Hall of Fame wide receiver Randy Moss spoke with Robin Roberts on “Good Morning America” about his cancer fight Thursday ahead of his return to ESPN’s “Sunday NFL Countdown.”

Moss, 48, revealed his bile duct cancer diagnosis in an Instagram Live last December, a week after stepping away from the ESPN show. He’s now in remission.

Moss’ Stage 2 cancer was discovered while he was having a stent placed in his liver. He then had a separate, six-hour procedure that removed parts of multiple organs, followed by chemotherapy and radiation.