Vikings Legend Gets Dropped into the NFL’s Trade Rumors
Adam Thielen is the hometown kid who made it. Any chance he gets sent out in a trade at some point soon?
After a successful career in Minnesota, the Vikings legend hopped over to the Carolina Panthers. He has done some good things statistically while operating from within his career’s second chapter, but the team success simply hasn’t been there. Any chance the rebuilding Panthers opt to move on from Mr. Thielen as they keep building toward the future?
Vikings Legend Adam Thielen and The Possibility of a Trade
The idea of a Thielen trade gets some airtime over on PFF, a website that published a list of “15 NFL trade candidates during 2025 training camps.”
Scroll down a bit and one will find Thielen’s name. An initial thought: “The Panthers built on their late-season growth via a solid offseason, acquiring marquee talent on both sides of the ball. But a side effect of those personnel changes is a logjam at wide receiver, which could relegate Thielen.”
Some more thoughts: “Even at age 34, Thielen performed admirably with Carolina in 2024. The veteran produced a 76.5 PFF receiving grade with 2.06 yards per route run while also sitting 73rd in separation rate and 65th in separation rate against single coverage.”
Part of the rationale for a trade is that there’s a lot of young talent pushing for a meaningful role. Can Thielen continue justifying a spot on the team? If not, then a trade may help the Panthers insofar as it opens more snaps for a young fella. There’s then the double benefit of snagging a draft pick while also saving cap space.
A final thought from the PFF piece: “Thielen is the oldest [of their key receivers] and on an expiring contract, which would figure to make him the most expendable; after all, the Panthers could likely obtain a solid draft pick instead of keeping him in a limited role.”
On August 22nd, Adam Thielen is going to turn 35. Not too many skill players can play so late into their 30s, but Thielen has proven to be one of exceptions. The suggestion is that he must be a very hard worker while also being someone who offers strong leadership.
Recently, the receiver from Detroit Lakes, Minnesota was in the news for working out with J.J. McCarthy. Even more exciting for Vikings fans is that Thielen is impressed by what he sees out of the young passer.
Originally operating on a three-year contract that comes in at a total $25,000,000, Thielen is now working on a new deal with the Panthers that has him on the books in 2025 for $8,750,000. When it comes to an actual cap charge, the Panthers are seeing $10,108,176 on their cap in ’25 to employ the Vikings legend. Trading him would mean recouping $8,441,176, money that could get rolled over into 2026 as the Panthers hope to be on the upswing.
In all likelihood, the Vikings won’t have too much interest in bringing Adam Thielen back to town. The 26-year-old Justin Jefferson is leading the receivers. Behind the WR1 is a crowded, youthful room where Jordan Addison, Jalen Nailor, Rondale Moore, Tai Felton, and several others are jostling for snaps and positioning on the depth chart.
If a trade were to occur, a spot like Kansas City, Buffalo, Pittsburgh, and/or Baltimore could make sense simply because these are teams looking to compete for a Super Bowl immediately.
Editor’s Note: Information from Pro Football Reference and Over the Cap helped with this piece.
