Ex-Teammate Spills Adam Thielen’s Retirement Beans
The Minnesota Vikings bolstered their receiving corps by acquiring old friend Adam Thielen from the Carolina Panthers, where he spent a couple of seasons. At the age of 35, his career is nearing an end, as Father Time remains undefeated.
Ex-Teammate Spills Adam Thielen’s Retirement Beans
The Vikes needed some help with their depleted pass-catchers to start the year due to Jordan Addison’s suspension. A pair of reliable and experienced hands was needed, and Thielen fit the profile.
A couple of day-three pick swaps that have the value of a fourth- or fifth-rounder went Carolina’s way, while the Vikings got a new weapon, who also took a pay cut from his childhood team. He’s under contract for the 2025 season and would then be scheduled to hit free agency.
Former teammate Xavier Legette thinks that doesn’t matter. He was asked about his thoughts when he heard that number 19 wanted to return to the Twin Cities: “I was shocked. But for real, I understand that he knew this was going to be his last year. Him playing where he started at, having that chance to go back and do that, I mean, it’s good for him.”
Legette, 24, out of South Carolina, was a 2024 first-round pick and hopes for the famous sophomore jump in the upcoming season. His new wingman will be rookie Tetairoa McMillan, no longer Thielen. He might have accidentally revealed Thielen’s retirement plans.
At the age of 35, however, it wouldn’t be surprising at all to see Thielen say “goodbye” to the game in four or five months. His play aged gracefully as he has always been a technician rather than an athletic freak, but there’s still some athleticism required as a wideout, and that’s not getting any easier in the mid-30s.
Thielen said in his first opportunity to talk to the local media after the trade, “I just didn’t think that this was even a possibility. I thought the next time I would be talking to you guys is when I was signing a one-day contract and retiring. This is pretty surreal. I’m gonna take advantage of every second that I’m back in this building, and I’ve tried to do that from a little bit of a different perspective.”
The WR spent the first ten seasons of his football career in Minnesota and became one of the better receivers in the NFL, with his prime seasons coming in 2017 and 2018. He’s fifth in franchise receiving yards and third in receiving touchdowns.
Young passer J.J. McCarthy will be his newest quarterback, after mentoring Bryce Young for two years. He also worked with young Teddy Bridgewater early in his career. In each of the past two offseasons, McCarthy and Thielen have worked out together, so there is already some familiarity, which may help them hit the ground running.
Last month, Thielen said about his new QB: “He’s got all the things it takes to be a successful player in this league, and kind of the things that we talked about about how I’ve gotten to year thirteen, he’s already got it. He’s got consistency, he’s got that mindset. He’s got all the skills to be able to play at a high level. So I’m really excited now, my second summer working with him, to see him get an opportunity, and to see what he does with the opportunity, because I see it.”
After the season, there’s a good chance Vikings fans will be on retirement watch concerning Thielen and Harrison Smith, two franchise legends.
Editor’s Note: Information from PFF, Over The Cap, and Pro Football Reference helped with this article.