The Minnesota Vikings have one of the top wide receiver duos in the NFL heading into the playoffs, but Justin Jefferson’s old partner in crime is still getting the job done in the NFC South Division.
Adam Thielen, a two-time Pro Bowler in Minnesota who played with Jefferson between 2020-22, finished his 2024 campaign with 48 catches for 615 yards and 5 TDs in just 10 games played due to injury issues. That followed a 103-catch season for 1,014 yards and 4 scores during his first season with the Carolina Panthers.
Carolina finished the year strongly, as second-year quarterback Bryce Young found his stride late after a mid-season benching and led the team to two victories in its final three games. The Panthers also went 2-4 in the six contests prior to that stretch, with three of those four defeats coming by six points or fewer.
The point being that the future actually looks relatively bright for Carolina in a division that has been run by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers over the last half decade but doesn’t have a dominant team among its four member franchises. Thielen, who turns 35 years old in August, also still has a season remaining on his three-year, $25 million contract.
However, the former Vikings fan favorite said on Monday, January 6, that he is considering retiring following the 11th campaign of his career.
“Yeah, for sure,” Thielen said. “I think every year I consider it. It’s no different than the last three years. Nothing has changed in the last three years as far as the process of the next two weeks. I’m gonna take two weeks to be around my family, get my mind away from football, see how my body feels and then be very clear of my intentions.”
Adam Thielen Has Considered Retiring Since Final Season With Vikings in 2022
GettyWide receiver Adam Thielen of the Carolina Panthers.
Thielen said that while his admission may come as news to Panthers fans and those in Minnesota who still follow the career of the homegrown product from Detroit Lakes, MN, it is actually something he has considered every offseason since the end of his final campaign with the Vikings in 2022.
“It’s not a new thing this year in Year 12,” Theilen continued. “It’s something that I’ve contemplated probably since Year 10.”
The wide receiver elaborated on what has developed into a “precise” pattern over the past three offseasons.
“After the season it’s like, ‘Man, is this right for my family? Is it right for me to keep playing? Is it right for the team?’” Thielen added. “And then once I know, probably about two weeks into the offseason, once I know it’s a very precise plan of what that looks like.”
Adam Thielen, Justin Jefferson Were Powerful Duo With Vikings
GettyMinnesota Vikings wide receiver Justin Jefferson (left) and former teammate Adam Thielen (right) of the Carolina Panthers.
Thielen was a two-time Pro Bowler during his nine-year tenure with his hometown team, earning the honors in 2017 and 2018. He also earned Second-Team All-Pro honors in 2017.
Over Thielen’s time with the Vikings, he amassed 534 catches for 6,682 receiving yards and 55 TDs.
Beyond that, Thielen was an important figure in the development of Jefferson into arguably the game’s best receiver. Jefferson earned Pro Bowl trips in each of his first three campaigns, all of which he played alongside Thielen in the starting lineup.
Minnesota replaced Thielen as the No. 2 wideout by selecting Jordan Addison in the first round of the 2023 draft. Addison has thrived in that role, learning from Jefferson on his way to 133 receptions for 1,786 yards and 19 TDs across his first two seasons (32 games) in the league.
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