MINNEAPOLIS -- His path to NFL success -- from Detroit Lakes, Minnesota, to Division II Minnesota State-Mankato and on to an NFL roster through nothing more than a rookie camp tryout -- already feels like something out of a made-for-TV movie. And as Minnesota Vikings receiver Adam Thielen discussed his new three-year contract extension with the team on Tuesday, his story is starting to resonate with players who hope to emulate it.
Thielen, who led the team in receiving yards and earned a three-year, $17 million contract that could be worth up to $27 million, first snatched an NFL roster spot by impressing the Vikings on a May weekend in 2013, leading them to cut Eastern Washington receiver Nicholas Edwards so they could sign him.