Remember the joy Adam Thielen’s daughter experienced when he told her their family was heading home?
“Just the raw emotion there with my daughter, who’s a spitfire and has a lot of energy and excitement,” Thielen said upon returning to Minnesota before the season. “[It] was a pretty cool memory that I’ll never forget.”
Thielen likely believed he’d make more memories upon coming home. However, his return to the Vikings didn’t end the way anyone had envisioned. Minnesota healthy-scratched him in Seattle on Sunday, citing receiver depth.
“You’re just trying to do what you think is best to win and make sure you’ve got some depth at some other spots where guys were dealing with some things,” said O’Connell, calling the decision a coach’s choice. “That receiver position is one that has stayed remarkably healthy this year.”
There’s some irony in Thielen becoming a victim of a roster depth issue when the Vikings haven’t been able to stay healthy for most of the season. Injuries have decimated their offensive line, and they had to start Max Brosmer because J.J. McCarthy and Carson Wentz couldn’t play.
The Vikings initially traded for Thielen because they were worried about receiver depth. Justin Jefferson and Jalen Nailor suffered preseason injuries, and the league suspended Jordan Addison for three games under its substances of abuse policy.
Thielen had played in O’Connell’s system in 2022 and worked out with McCarthy in the offseason, making him a natural choice to step in as receiver insurance. However, Thielen only played 26.5% of snaps in 11 games for the Vikings. He ran 115 routes, had 18 targets, eight catches, six first downs, and three drops.
“Last week, Adam’s representation approached the team and asked if we would be willing to release Adam, expressing his desire to play a bigger role in the remaining weeks of what he has indicated will be his final NFL season,” Kwesi Adofo-Mensah said in a statement. “Following discussions through the weekend and out of respect for Adam, we have agreed to give him the opportunity to pursue more playing time elsewhere.”
Thielen leaves in a similar manner as he did in 2023. He had expressed a desire for a bigger role, and likely a larger payday, after falling behind Justin Jefferson and T.J. Hockenson on the depth chart. He landed with the Carolina Panthers, where he had 1,014 yards as Bryce Young’s No. 1 target in his rookie year.
The Vikings hoped Thielen would play a similar role for McCarthy in his first season as a starter. However, aside from the comeback in Chicago and his return from a high ankle sprain in Detroit, McCarthy hasn’t played like a franchise quarterback. Wentz started in McCarthy’s place while he recovered from the sprain, and underwent season-ending shoulder surgery after the Los Angeles Chargers blew out the Vikings on the road.
By the time Max Brosmer stepped in as Minnesota’s starting quarterback on Sunday, the season was all but lost. At 4-8, the Vikings will focus on McCarthy’s development and try to pick up wins over the Washington Commanders and New York Giants to avoid losing every game since Week 9 in Detroit.
It’s a far cry from what Thielen expected upon returning home.
“I’m going to make sure that this emotion doesn’t just fade away,” Thielen said after the Vikings traded a fourth-rounder for him at the beginning of the season. “It’s going to be hopefully something that lasts my entire time here.”
Instead of being part of a team that breaks through in the playoffs after losing in the first round two of the past three years, Adam Thielen will pursue postseason success elsewhere in his final season. It won’t be weird seeing him donning another uniform after he wore Panthers blue for two seasons. Still, his departure is a sign of how far they have fallen this year.
