Adam Thielen Is Now a Litmus Test
The Minnesota Vikings said sayonara to Adam Thielen this week after 12 regular season games. Thielen asked for his release last week, and Minnesota granted it soon after. Now, it’s time for an important test, as the Pittsburgh Steelers claimed Thielen.
Adam Thielen’s usage in Pittsburgh could become a litmus test for the Vikings, revealing whether the team misjudged the veteran’s value and role.
Minnesota rarely used Thielen this season, and if the Steelers start to suddenly squeeze the goodness out of him, the Vikings will look ridiculous in retrospect.
What if Adam Thielen Is … Good in Pittsburgh?
Minnesota’s coaching staff could look silly.
Vikings Would Look Silly if Thielen Is Productive in Pittsburgh
Thielen played 185 snaps for the 2025 Vikings, targeted 18 times in the passing game by J.J. McCarthy and Carson Wentz. He caught 8 passes for 69 yards, in addition to a nifty two-point conversion in Week 1 when the Thielen reunion and experiment still felt promising.
In Pittsburgh, on the other hand, if Thielen rekindles his Carolina ways — he was dependable and productive with Bryce Young at quarterback in 2023 and 2024 — the Vikings’ coaching staff will look silly and borderline incompetent.
Think of it this way: if Thielen pops off for 100 yards on Sunday against the Ravens, Vikings fans, in unison, will collectively think, “What the hell are we even doing?”
Of course, Thielen didn’t help his cause in Minnesota over the last few months, dropping passes at a rate not seen in his illustrious career. But if he looks like a baller with Aaron Rodgers flinging the rock at him, eyebrows will raise.
No Meaningful Action in Minnesota
Three months ago, when the regular season began, WR2 Jordan Addison missed three games because of a suspension. And with an inexperienced quarterback, McCarthy, waiting in the wings, most Vikings fans and NFL onlookers expected Thielen to slide into the Addison role, at least for a few games.
That never happened. In fact, Thielen didn’t even flirt with the WR3 job. When it was all said and done for the brief Thielen sequel, his numbers matched those of some team’s WR6.
Thielen did not see meaningful action in Minnesota this time around, and when he did, he usually dropped the pass from McCarthy or Wentz.
Now Playing on a Subpar WR Corps
But in Pittsburgh, Thielen does actually have a shot to command WR2 targets. Why? Because, compared to most NFL teams, the Steelers’ wide receivers stink. It’s D.K. Metcalf — and then dudes who might live on other clubs’ practice squad.
Are you familiar with Calvin Austin? What’s your take on Roman Wilson’s career highlight tape? What about Ben Skowronek? Exactly.
Austin, Wilson, and Skowronek are Thielen’s main WR2 competition. Those players are not known for long-term, sustainable production. Thielen has a chance to snatch the WR2 job for a month-plus and make it his own.
There’s also the Rodgers element: the future Hall of Fame passer loves feeding “his guys,” and based on a years-long friendship, Rodgers may empower Thielen to the utmost — unlike the Vikings’ offensive coaching staff.
Longstanding Questions about Vikings Offense
As recently as three months ago, fans thought Minnesota’s offense was in great shape. Everyone trusted Kevin O’Connell.
But as the season has worn on, these questions have emerged.
- Why don’t the Vikings run the football when they know the passing game is comically inefficient?
- Why didn’t Thielen get a normal platter of targets when the club used a 4th-Round draft pick to get him?
- Where’s T.J. Hockenson? He’s the fourth-highest-paid tight end in the world, and the Vikings treat him like a fringe TE2.
- Does O’Connell even have a playbook for a young quarterback? Does everything have to be down-the-field shots that might confuse a youngster who just so happens to stink?
- Where in the hell is Tai Felton?
A big game or more from Thielen in Pittsburgh would further complicate the Vikings coaching staff’s recent decision-making.
Steelers-Themed Media on Thielen
On Thielen’s role in Pittsburgh, Behind the Steel Curtain‘s Ryland Bickely wrote this week, “I don’t think it’s a bad signing by any means. Thielen is cheap, with just a $1.1 million cap hit this season per Spotrac. While he’s clearly regressing due to age, he’s just a year removed from being a 615-yard receiver for the Panthers last year.”
“And more importantly, he brings experience and a veteran savvy to a wide receiving unit that’s been sorely lacking it this season, much to Aaron Rodgers’ likely chagrin (see the above article). I’ve criticized the Steelers a lot this season for being too veteran-heavy, but this is the one position where it makes a modicum of sense to add another. Does that mean Thielen will be WR2? I highly doubt it.”
ESPN’s Football Power Index predicts the Steelers to finish 8-9.
Bickley continued, “And even if he will be, that’s not a big piece of the Pittsburgh offense. It’s worth noting Thielen was picked up on waivers instead of him definitely choosing to sign with Pittsburgh. But given his complaints about playing time in Minnesota, I’d imagine the Steelers are aware and planning on giving him some sort of role.”
“He’s on the active roster, at least — already a step ahead of Marquez Valdes-Scantling’s Steelers journey. But will the Thielen signing be impactful? Probably not. However, that doesn’t make it an unreasonable roster move for where the Pittsburgh offense currently is.”
Thielen will retire when Pittsburgh’s season ends. Keep an eye on the final five games to determine whether the man is truly “washed” or whether the Vikings, oddly, refused to use him.
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