After days of dancing around, it's finally happening. The Minnesota Vikings are reuniting with wide receiver Adam Thielen, sending a few picks to the Carolina Panthers for the wide receiver.
“Homecoming: Panthers and Vikings are finalizing a trade for WR Adam Thielen to return to Minnesota, sources tell ESPN,” Adam Schefter reports. “The trade: Vikings get Thielen, a conditional 2026 seventh-round pick and a 2027 fifth-round pick. Panthers get a 2026 fifth-round pick and a 2027 fourth-round pick.”
The Vikings have been searching for help at the wide receiver position during the last few days. A combination of injuries and suspensions has decimated their wide receiver room. Justin Jefferson is coming back from a hamstring injury he sustained last season. WR3 Jalen Nailor is nursing a hand injury. And perhaps most notably, Jordan Addison will miss the first few games of the 2025 season due to being suspended for a DUI arrest.
Even in the best possible scenario, the Vikings will be down their WR2 and have their WR1 and WR3 be limited in Week 1. Considering how much a good start matters in the NFL, Minnesota can't afford to have a sub-optimal receiving corps around JJ McCarthy in his first NFL starts.
Despite his age, Thielen should still be a valuable contributor for the Vikings this season. He dealt with injuries in 2024, but played well in his last fully healthy season in 2023. There, the former Panther caught 103 passes for 1,014 yards as their WR1 that season. Last year, Thielen played in 10 games, catching 48 passes for 615 yards and five touchdowns.
Thielen will not be expected to be the Vikings' top wide receiver. That's a role he's used to: he was the number two behind Jefferson before leaving for Carolina in 2022, after all. The hope is that Thielen provides stability for a young JJ McCarthy to feel comfortable as he makes his official NFL debut.
