Adam Thielen Was Oh So Close to Joining Different Team
If Adam Thielen had his way, he might have joined the Kansas City Chiefs in 2023 — and subsequently won a Super Bowl.
Adam Thielen Was Oh So Close to Joining Different Team
The beloved former Viking played a golf tournament last week and was asked about playing against the Chiefs in 2024. He replied, “Well, I was trying to go there, and they didn’t want me, so I’ll have to try to show them what I got.”
The revelation is somewhat unsurprising — many pundits and fans speculated in March 2023 that Thielen + the Chiefs would’ve meshed nicely. However, nothing came to fruition, and thanks to Thielen’s offhanded comment, Kansas City was the entity that said “no thanks.”
Thielen later joined the Carolina Panthers on a three-year, $25 million deal. The Panthers finished 2-15, and their 1st overall pick paved the way for the Chicago Bears to draft Caleb Williams three months ago, courtesy of a pre-draft trade around the time of Thielen’s arrival.
In Carolina, despite the team’s terrible record, Thielen performed wonderfully. He notched 1,014 receiving yards and 4 touchdowns, a respectable statline on a poor team with a young quarterback. The Chiefs — Thielen’s apparent preferred destination — hoisted a Lombardi Trophy. So, yes, the variance of Thielen’s free agency was from first to worst.
Thielen will turn 34 in August. Carolina fired its head coach, let Bryce Young develop, and basically bottomed out last season, so we shall see if Year No. 2 for Thielen, plus new head coach Dave Canales, have more wins in store for 2024.
In April, Thielen talked about his 2023 exit from Minnesota. He stated about the Vikings approaching him for an extension: “They did not, no. It never really got to that point. At that point, it was, do you guys want me to come back this year?”
Thielen continued, “Obviously they’re building for the future. They really did some great things. They drafted a young receiver that did a great job. I think they had a very specific plan of what their time was for the future and they’re attacking that and going after it. It is what it is. Have nothing but respect for all those guys.”
Many believed Thielen was tapped on the shoulder for a pay reduction request during the 2023 offseason. Yet, after his explanation to Forbes, Minnesota apparently had a life-without-Thielen plan from the onset of that offseason. Couple that intel with the Chiefs’ non-interest in free agency, and it’s easy to discern how the former Viking landed in Carolina.
Oddsmakers expect Carolina to win five or six games this season. Kansas City is the frontrunner to win the Super Bowl, which would make three consecutively.
Some Vikings fans have hoped that Thielen could return to Minnesota this offseason via trade, though the arrangement is a longshot.
Dustin Baker is a political scientist who graduated from the University of Minnesota in 2007. Subscribe to his daily YouTube Channel, VikesNow. He hosts a podcast with Bryant McKinnie, which airs every Wednesday with Raun Sawh and Sal Spice. His Vikings obsession dates back to 1996. Listed guilty pleasures: Peanut Butter Ice Cream, ‘The Sopranos,’ Basset Hounds, and The Doors (the band).
All statistics provided by Pro Football Reference / Stathead; all contractual information provided by OverTheCap.com.
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