His hard work is paying off – literally. About four minutes into the third quarter of the Vikings’ 25-20 loss to the Bears, Thielen caught a 12-yard pass from Kirk Cousins. It was a fairly ho-hum catch; it gave the Vikings a first down, but the drive ultimately ended without any points. It was a huge catch for Thielen, though, because it was his 80th reception of the season. That triggered a $300,000 incentive bonus in his contract. It also escalated his 2019 base salary by $250,000. In essence, Thielen’s catch was worth $550,000. The Vikings paid Thielen $1.5 million combined during the 2014, 2015, and 2016 seasons. And he made about a third of that with his 80th grab on Sunday. Thielen is well on his way to setting career-high marks in receptions and receiving yards this season, and has already broken his single-season touchdown record. However, we have a feeling he’ll look back on this catch a little more fondly. We just hope he held onto that game ball. After all, it’s worth a lot.
