Mizutani: Vikings reacquiring Adam Thielen evokes memories of Randy Moss

Let s take a trip down memory lane for a second It was October and I was an -year-old freshman at the University of Minnesota I remember sitting in my dorm room at Sanford Hall when news started to break that superstar receiver Randy Moss had been traded back to the Vikings I couldn t believe it I idolized Moss as a little kid growing up in the suburbs of Chicago and now I was going to get to witness his return as a college participant living in the heart of the Twin Cities I without delay called my mom and sought her to mail my No jersey It arrived in time for me to rock it proudly when the Vikings played the New York Jets on Monday Night Football The euphoria lasted less than a month As excited as everybody was in the immediate aftermath Moss rapidly wore out his welcome both on and off the field He was ultimately placed on waivers by the Vikings and claimed off waivers by the Tennessee Titans The memories of that homecoming came flooding back last week when the Vikings reacquired veteran receiver Adam Thielen in a pact with the Carolina Panthers Not that there s any reason to think history will repeat itself Though there are certain similarities on the surface namely that Thielen was a former fan favorite like Moss was in his prime everything is set up for it to work much better this time around The starting point is obvious when considering that Thielen is a proud Minnesotan at heart How badly did he want to play for the Vikings He reportedly took a million pay cut to make it happen This isn t just a former member returning to where he it all started This is a local boy from Detroit Lakes coming home The raw emotion of that reality was on display last week at TCO Performance Center as Thielen smiled from ear to ear while chopping it up with reporters less than hours after the contract was official His bliss was apparent as he gushed about getting to finish his career with the Vikings He vowed not to let it fade at any point moving forward The biggest reason this homecoming should go smoothly in the long run however is that Thielen can still contribute at a high level It s why the Vikings had to pay such a premium to pry him away from the Panthers It s pretty clear that head coach Kevin O Connell believes Thielen will play a big role for the Vikings from the onset The familiarity that Thielen has with O Connell having worked with him in the past should help him hit the ground running Whether he s lining up in the slot or playing on the outside Thielen is still a savvy passage runner with a very good hands which should help make life easier young quarterback J J McCarthy in the early stages of his career That part of it matters more than anything else This is much more than a heartwarming story That shouldn t be lost in the shuffle As I sat down to write this column it was hard not to think about about the -year-old freshmen at the University of Minnesota several of which were moving into their dorms last week when news started to break that Thielen had been traded back to the Vikings Maybe they idolized Thielen wherever they were growing up Maybe they this instant called their mom and inquired her to mail their No jersey Maybe they are planning to rock it proudly when the Vikings play the Chicago Bears on Monday Night Football Here s to hoping they get to wear theirs a little longer than I got to wear mine Related Articles After growing up a Vikings fan Carson Wentz fulfills his prophecy Adam Thielen is back home with the Vikings and he couldn t be happier The Loop Nipsey Russell s NFL Preview Homecoming Vikings bring Adam Thielen home to Minnesota via transaction Who did the Vikings keep on their initial -man roster Here s a look