On Wednesday, the Minnesota Vikings made a splash by trading for Carolina Panthers wide receiver Adam Thielen, a player who suited up for the Vikings for the better part of a decade during the 2010s. Thielen figures to provide some veteran experience and another downfield target for quarterback JJ McCarthy, who is essentially entering his rookie season after missing all of last year due to injury.
While Vikings fans are surely thrilled to be reuniting with their fan favorite wide receiver, recently, ESPN NFL insider Adam Schefter reported on another target that Minnesota had its eyes on before keying in on Thielen.
“Vikings had expressed interest in Kendrick Bourne prior to the Adam Thielen trade, and others also are expected to be interested,” reported Schefter on X, formerly Twitter.
Bourne is another veteran wide receiver who was released by the New England Patriots earlier in the day on Wednesday. He is sure to have some suitors on the free agency market from teams looking for some experience and polished route running in their wide receiver room.
A big reunion for Minnesota
At age 35, Adam Thielen is no longer the same player he was during his peak years with the Minnesota Vikings, including the 2018 season, when Minnesota secured the second seed in the NFC and made it to the conference championship game.
Still, he proved during his time with the Panthers that his strong hands remain intact, and he can use his veteran savviness to create the space that he used to be able to generate with his athleticism alone.
Having a vet like Thielein in the wide receiver room will certainly do wonders for JJ McCarthy, who already has arguably the league's best wide receiver in Justin Jefferson to throw the ball to, as well as Jordan Addison.
The Vikings are coming off a 2024 season in which they won 14 games but flamed out in the first round of the playoffs against the Los Angeles Rams, and are hoping to build off that momentum with a young quarterback in McCarthy at the helm.
Minnesota will kick off its season on September 8 on the road vs the Chicago Bears.
