Vikings receiver Adam Thielen has to walk before he can run. He was happy to report Monday that he's back on his feet, with his surgically repaired left ankle in a walking boot, and able to move around a little bit two weeks after his season-ending operation.
Vikings' Adam Thielen back on his feet after ankle surgery
The receiver said his surgery was 'pretty easy" and that he is a few weeks away from a full recovery.
January 11, 2022 at 1:03AM
"My wife will enjoy that," Thielen said, "when I get home and can actually help out more around the house."
Thielen cleaned out his locker at the Vikings headquarters for the ninth time Monday, when the 31-year-old former Pro Bowler said he had no choice but to undergo season-ending surgery after worsening a high-ankle sprain by trying to play three weeks after the initial injury. He said he's a "few more weeks" away from a full recovery after watching the Vikings' 31-17 win over the Bears on Sunday from the sideline with the help of a knee scooter and crutches.
"My ankle wasn't stable," he said. "It's a pretty easy surgery and everything went pretty well. It's a pretty easy recovery, a few more weeks here and I should be feeling back to normal. Just trying to take advantage of every day and get back to where I can begin training again."
Thielen had 10 touchdown receptions in 11 games before suffering the injury on his first catch in the Dec. 5 loss at Detroit. The way he felt on the field for a ninth-year veteran gave him even more confidence moving forward. He's under contract through 2024.
"I feel really good," he said. "It was a bummer to have the ankle issue, but other than that, it really was the best I'd felt in my entire career."
'Crazy ride' for Kendricks and Barr
Linebacker Eric Kendricks said he's feeling better after becoming symptomatic and testing positive for COVID-19 on Jan. 3, forcing him to miss Sunday's season finale against the Bears. Sitting out was particularly difficult because that meant the Jan. 2 loss at Green Bay could've been his last game with Anthony Barr, his teammate for 11 of the past 12 football seasons between UCLA and Minnesota.
Barr is one of 16 players scheduled to be an unrestricted free agent in March, also including cornerback Patrick Peterson, defensive tackle Sheldon Richardson, safety Xavier Woods and tight end Tyler Conklin.
"I never really thought about it until very, very, very recently," Kendricks said. "It's been a crazy ride me and AB have had – shoot, crazy. I'm still processing it right now, you know what I mean?"
Kendricks' eyes welled with tears as he gathered his thoughts.
"He was down again at the beginning of the year, he missed a lot," Kendricks said of Barr. "It hurt me to see him hurt like that, especially with all the work he's put in. But the last remainder of the season, he played so strong and proved that he's an elite player. It just – it made me happy."
Eight signed to futures deals
The Vikings' front office, operating without general manager Rick Spielman after his firing, signed eight players to futures contracts on Monday: receivers Trishton Jackson and Myron Mitchell, safety Myles Dorn, running back A.J. Rose Jr., defensive tackle T.J. Smith, tackle Timon Parris, linebacker Tuf Borland and cornerback Parry Nickerson.
Futures contracts are for players who weren't on an active NFL roster at the end of the previous season, and go into effect at the start of the 2022 league year in March. All eight players were on the Vikings' practice squad.
Mike Conley was in Minneapolis, where he sounded the Gjallarhorn at the Vikings game, on Sunday during the robbery.
