The Carolina Panthers traded veteran Adam Thielen back to the Minnesota Vikings in the offseason. There was some early speculation about how that would go, as Carolina was trusting a very young wide receiver corps and moving on from their most reliable and productive offensive target.

Adam Thielen was waived by the Minnesota Vikings on Monday. Should the Carolina Panthers pursue a reunion with the veteran receiver.

A year after he also missed seven games due to injury with the Carolina Panthers, Thielen may well just be at the end of the road from a physical standpoint. Still, as a low-risk rental, he might have appeal to a handful of teams on track for January football.

Thielen, 35, signed with the Carolina Panthers in March 2023 after spending the first 10 seasons of his career with the Vikings. He was traded back to the Vikings on Aug. 27, 2025, before he and the team agreed to his request to be waived on Dec. 1.

Steelers claimed former Vikings WR Adam Thielen on waivers, per source. Thielen is a two-time Pro Bowl selection (2017, 2018). He has 693 career catches, 8,380 yards, and 64 touchdowns. Considering he was claimed at the beginning of the week, perhaps he will get a helmet in Week 14 against the Baltimore Ravens.