Panthers shore up offense with Adam Thielen, sources say

The veteran wide receiver agreed to a deal for the next three seasons with Carolina.

CHARLOTTE — Adam Thielen will help fill the lack of a veteran wide receiver that the Carolina Panthers when they included DJ Moore in a trade with the Chicago Bears for the first overall pick in the draft.

Los Panthers announced their agreement with Thielen. The contract is for three years, a league source told ESPN.

Thielen met with the Panthers in Charlotte last week when he began exploring free agency. Although he left without a contract, a league source said there was mutual interest between the parties in reaching an agreement.

Carolina he also met with former Detroit Lions wide receiver DJ Chark, according to a league source. There’s still a chance the team could sign him, too.

The main recipients returning to Carolina from last season were Terrace Marshall Jr., Laviska Shenault Jr. and Shi Smith, who had a combined 77 receptions.

Thielen brings a leadership presence to the position that Panthers they were looking for even before Moore was traded to the Bears. Moore had been more of a leader by example.

Thielen was cut by the Minnesota Vikings after 10 seasons, designated a pre-June 1 cut so the team could avoid its salary-cap impact for 2023.

You can enjoy the best of the NFL through Star+, subscribe here!

The player originating from Minnesotawho excelled at the collegiate level at Minnesota State Mankato, finished third all-time in the Vikings in receptions with 534, trailing only Hall of Famers Cris Carter and Randy Moss. Thielen joined the Vikings in 2013 after staying on the team through a rookie tryout camp, working his way up from the practice squad to a spot on special teams and eventually becoming a two-time Pro Bowl star wide receiver.

Thielen, who turns 33 in August, had 70 receptions for 716 yards and six touchdowns last season. His role began to diminish down the stretch, however, as he ranked fourth in passes his way, behind the younger Justin Jefferson, TJ Hockenson and KJ Osborn in the last five games.

Los Vikings made it clear in talks this offseason that Thielen, who was scheduled to earn $19.97 million in 2023, would have a smaller role plus a pay cut if he restructured a deal to stay with the team. The wide receiver told ESPN in February that he expected to retire as a Viking, but also wanted “my chance to show that I can play at a high level.”

Total, Thielento whom the Vikings described as a “selfless fellow,” he has 6,682 career receiving yards and 55 touchdowns. His best season was 2018, when he had 113 receptions for 1,373 yards and nine touchdowns. He was the team’s 2022 Walter Payton Man of the Year nominee.

“It is the best representation of what the Minnesota Vikings“, declared el gerente general Kwesi Adofo-Mensah.

Information from Kevin Seifert was used in the writing of this note.