- The Minnesota Vikings traded for veteran wide receiver Adam Thielen from the Carolina Panthers.
- Thielen previously played for the Vikings from 2013-2022 and ranks third in franchise history in receptions.
- Thielen is entering the final year of his contract, worth $8.75 million with an additional $4 million possible through incentives.
The Minnesota Vikings are turning to a familiar figure to address an emerging problem area.
The team on Wednesday agreed to acquire veteran wide receiver Adam Thielen in a trade with the Carolina Panthers.
Minnesota also acquired a conditional 2026 seventh-round pick in exchange for a 2026 fifth-round pick and a fourth-round pick in 2027.
The move sends the Minnesota native back home to the organization with which he rose from an undrafted free agent to a two-time Pro Bowl selection. The Vikings, meanwhile, equip new starting quarterback J.J. McCarthy with immediate help behind two-time All-Pro Justin Jefferson while starting receiver Jordan Addison serves a three-game suspension to open the season and No. 3 target Jalen Nailor continues to be sidelined by a hand injury. Rondale Moore also suffered a season-ending knee injury in the preseason.
‘I’m inquiring,’ Vikings general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah said Friday when asked in an interview with KFAN-FM radio whether he was interested in adding another receiver. ‘Always got to be mindful of that as a I look at the roster.’
Thielen, 35, played with the Vikings from 2013-22 and eventually became a staple of the passing attack as well as a fan favorite before being released in a cap-saving move. He ranks third in franchise history in career receptions (534), trailing only Hall of Famers Cris Carter and Randy Moss.
In Carolina, Thielen helped ease No. 1 overall pick Bryce Young’s pro transition, leading the team in receiving yards for each of the last two seasons. But the Panthers seemed to reconfigure the focal points of their passing game in recent months by adding Tetairoa McMillan with the No. 8 overall pick in April to pair with 2024 first-round pick Xavier Legette.
‘We felt strongly enough about a young, talented group that we could do (the trade),’ Panthers coach Dave Canales said Wednesday.
Meanwhile, veteran Hunter Renfrow – who made the Pro Bowl in 2021 with the Las Vegas Raiders but sat out last season – was released Tuesday after signing with Carolina in the offseason. Canales, however, said the team had remained in contact with Renfrow about a possible return.
Adam Thielen contract details
Thielen is entering the final year of his contract after in March signing a revision to the three-year, $25 million contract he reached with the Panthers in March 2023. The new pact is worth $8.75 million with an additional $4 million possible through incentives, according to Over The Cap, with two void years tacked on.
According to multiple reports, however, Thielen and the Vikings are working on a revised contract to sort out his 2025 pay.
He received a $1.5 million roster bonus from the Panthers as part of the original agreement.