Vikings waive ex-Panthers WR Adam Thielen: What it means for 2025 trade
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Vikings will waive Adam Thielen with five weeks left, ending short stint.
- Trade conditions leave Vikings with a 2026 seventh-round pick secured.
- Thielen must clear waivers to become free agent.
The Minnesota Vikings officially waived former Carolina Panthers wide receiver Adam Thielen on Monday with five weeks remaining in the 2025 regular season.
Thielen, who was traded from Carolina to Minnesota in August, was a healthy scratch for the team’s 26-0 loss to the Seattle Seahawks on Sunday. Thielen caught eight passes for 69 yards in 11 games for the Vikings after arriving just before Week 1.
Thielen’s catches all came in Vikings losses this year. He was held without a catch for the four wins on Minnesota’s 4-8 record.
According to the Vikings, Thielen and his representatives asked for his release so that he could conclude his NFL career with a bigger role somewhere else. When Thielen was traded to Minnesota in the summer, he made it clear that he wanted to go back to the Vikings to finish his final season where his career first started.
Thielen, a native of Detroit Lakes, Minnesota and a graduate of Minnesota State University, had spent his entire life in Minnesota before joining the Panthers in 2023.
What Thielen’s release means for the Panthers-Vikings trade
The Panthers traded Thielen, along with a conditional 2026 seventh-round pick and a 2027 fifth-round pick, to Minnesota for a 2026 fifth-round pick and a 2027 fourth-round pick.
The conditions of the 2026 seventh-round pick sent to Minnesota were as follows, as told by a league source: The Panthers would give the Vikings a seventh-round pick if Thielen was active for 10 or more games or on the 53-man roster for 14 or more games. The pick would turn into a sixth-round pick if Thielen played in fewer than 10 games and was on the 53-man roster for fewer than 14 games.
The conditions offered the Vikings insurance for the 35-year-old wideout in case injury or poor play led to him being shelved.
Thielen played in 11 games, so the conditional pick is solidified as a seventh-round pick. The Vikings are cutting Thielen before 14 weeks, but since he already met the playing time quota, the pick remains unchanged, according to a league source.
The trade is finalized as Thielen, a 2026 seventh-round pick and a 2027 fifth-round pick for a 2026 fifth-round pick and 2027 fourth-round pick.
Should the Panthers bring back Thielen?
Thielen will be subject to waivers since he was cut following the NFL trade deadline. He will be eligible to be claimed through Tuesday afternoon (4 p.m.).
Thielen would be owed the remainder of his $3 million base salary if he were to be claimed. However, if he were to pass through waivers on Tuesday, he’d become a free agent and would be free to sign a deal elsewhere at a prorated rate.
The Panthers are 7-6 without Thielen. The team won just seven games during Thielen’s two-year tenure in Carolina.
The team has started to see some major developments from young wideouts like first-round pick Tetairoa McMillan and second-year playmaker Jalen Coker. They’re also still trying to find consistent roles for 2024 first-round pick Xavier Legette and Jimmy Horn Jr.
While Thielen became a trusted target for quarterback Bryce Young during their time together in Carolina, it was clear that the team wanted to lean into their youth movement at the position after the trade. Adding Thielen to the mix could give the Panthers another proven weapon, but he would also cause some chemistry issues in the short term as the Panthers look to make a playoff push, which was sparked without him.
“He’s still on their roster currently, so I’m going to kick that one down to a couple of days,” head coach Dave Canales said with a big smile Monday when asked Thielen.
Thielen has made it clear he wants to have a bigger role in an offense. With McMillan and Coker developing and delivering, it might not make sense to mitigate their progress, even for a short period, for a guy who wanted to return to another team — quite publicly, by the way — and has been vocal that it’ll be his final year.
That said, Thielen was the team’s Walter Payton Man of the Year nominee last season. He produced 151 receptions for 1,629 yards and nine touchdowns in Carolina. He also knows the offense.
So, it wouldn’t be completely far-fetched to seek a reunion.
This story was originally published December 1, 2025 at 1:22 PM.
