Thielen has certainly had a storied career in over a decade in the league, making his way up from an undrafted free agent signed by Minnesota to Carolina’s leading receiver each of the past two seasons, with a couple Pro Bowl selections earned along the way.
Thielen grew into a success story in his nine seasons playing with the Vikings, slowly working his way into a starting role. His peak years came in 2017 and 2018 when he surpassed 1,200 yards both campaigns to earn his Pro Bowl nods, but Thielen maintained a relatively steady level of production as WR2 up until his release in 2022.
He then signed a three-year deal with the Panthers, and from the start was a veteran presence in a young Panthers offense and a safety net for Bryce Young as the quarterback found his footing in the NFL. Over the past two seasons, Thielen accounted for 1,629 receiving yards and nine touchdowns in 27 games, including recording more than double the catches and receiving yards of next closest Panther player in 2023, an impressively consistent output for one of the oldest wideouts in the league.
This fall will likely look a little different in distribution of targets with the rise of second-year WR Xavier Legette and last week’s drafting of Tetairoa McMillan, though Thielen still figures to fit into the starting equation.
With just the 2025 season left on his contract, the upcoming year will bring questions as to what the next steps are for Thielen. But that’s a topic for another day, as he keeps his focus on leading his team in their continued rebuilding efforts. Retirement talks can wait for next spring.
“Not gonna think about that right now. I’m gonna focus on being the best football player I can possibly be, and you have to have that mindset in this league,” Thielen said. “And then once the season’s over — evaluate, see where we’re at, see where the team’s at, see where I’m at individually and as a family and figure it out. But definitely, definitely winding down my career. But excited about this year and what could happen.”
