Rave Reviews Are Pouring In for a Vikings Roster Move
Slightly over one week ago, the Minnesota Vikings finalized a much-anticipated trade for wide receiver Adam Thielen.
Stellar reviews are pouring in for a recent Vikings roster move, as analysts highlight the impact it could have on Minnesota’s current outlook.
Fans rejoiced over the transaction, bringing Thielen, a renowned Minnesota native, home for the 2025 season and allowing him to eventually retire as a Viking.
It just so happens that ESPN thought highly of the swap as well.
Analyst Gives Vikings High Marks for Adam Thielen Trade
Minnesota apparently already won the Thielen trade.
ESPN Hands Vikings an ‘A-‘ Grade for Adam Thielen Trade
With the trade a few days in the rearview, Benjamin Solak assigned a nifty ‘A-” grade for the Vikings.
He defended the mark: “The Vikings have reunited with their longtime receiver Adam Thielen. Assuming the conditions of the 2026 pick headed to Minnesota are met, the Vikings will have moved back two rounds in next year’s draft and one round in 2027’s draft to acquire the single year remaining on the 35-year-old receiver’s contract.”
“This is fine business. The Vikings’ receiver depth will be tested early this season, as WR3 speedster Jalen Nailor recovers from a hand injury and WR2 Jordan Addison serves a three-game suspension. Depth receiver Rondale Moore had a season-ending knee injury early this offseason, leaving rookie Tai Felton and veteran Tim Jones as the depth behind Justin Jefferson to start the season.”
Altogether, Minnesota received Thielen, a 5th-Round pick, and a 7th-Rounder in exchange for a 4th-Round pick and a 5th-Rounder to the Panthers.
Solak added, “Thielen should slot right into a familiar offense and provide a good safety blanket for young quarterback J.J. McCarthy, who needs strong early performances in September to boost his confidence and generate some positive momentum. I like the deal a lot for that reason: McCarthy won’t spend the first three starts of his NFL career endeavoring to make up for bad receiver play.”
There you have it: an A- for general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah.
C+ for the Panthers
On the other side, ESPN wasn’t too thrilled about the Panthers’ haul.
The central argument involved Carolina losing Thielen’s veteran presence and only retaining young wideouts in 2025. The club has since signed veteran Hunter Renfrow, but no one is too sure if he’ll prominently factor into the offense.
It’s the Tetairoa McMillan, Xavier Legette, Jalen Coker, Jimmy Horn, and David Moore show otherwise for Carolina this season. Naysayers believe Thielen’s experience was vital for quarterback Bryce Young.
A Reunion and a WR2 Upgrade
In Minnesota, Thielen will fill a WR2 role for the season’s first three weeks. Jordan Addison, the usual holder of the job, is suspended and cannot return until September 28th in Dublin, Ireland, a game against the Pittsburgh Steelers.
The Vikings would’ve handed the WR2 post to Jalen Nailor if the Thielen deal didn’t go through, but virtually everyone agrees that Thielen is more productive than the speedy Nailor.
Thielen can also finish his career in purple and gold, a poetic perk to the trade. The current season could be his last, or Thielen could stick around for 2026. Stay tuned.
Eventual Trade for a CB?
What about other trades? Well, Adofo-Mensah is never shy about pulling the trigger on trades to improve the roster.
At cornerback, the outlook is shakier than at wide receiver. The franchise has four corners on the active roster: Byron Murphy Jr., Isaiah Rodgers, Jeff Okudah, and Dwight McGlothern. That group might do the trick; it could call flat.
If Minnesota fires up another trade before the league deadline in the next seven weeks, expect a cornerback.
More from Solak on the Panthers’ Side of the Deal
Solak weighed in more in-depth on the Panthers’ rationale and fallout of the Thielen trade, too.
He wrote, “This is actually a bigger risk for the Panthers than it appears. From Week 8 on last season — the stretch in which quarterback Bryce Young came back and looked solid — Thielen was the Panthers’ best receiver. Sure, guys like Jalen Coker and Ja’Tavion Sanders were having breakout games, and the backs were getting involved as pass catchers, but it was Thielen who drove the ship.”
“Thielen averaged 2.47 yards per route run in that stretch, which was the 14th best number in the NFL. He also caught 80% of his targets when Coker and Xavier Legette caught 63.2% and 56.4%, respectively. Thielen was so valuable that the Panthers gave him a raise in March worth $1.5 million to encourage him to stave off retirement.”
Thielen also revised his contract upon arriving in the Twin Cities by accepting a paycut.
Solak added, “The drafting of first-round receiver Tetairoa McMillan always foretold a decrease in target share for Thielen. But keeping Thielen around for another year would have helped smooth the transition. Now the Panthers enter the season with a starting receiver trio (McMillan, Coker and Legette) full of big-play potential but no proven chemistry with Young over the middle of the field.”
“That’s an important cornerstone of the Panthers’ offensive system that needs replacing.”
Thielen’s Vikings travel to Chicago for a date with the Bears on Monday Night Football to open the 2025 season.
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