If he had it his way, Adam Thielen would’ve ended his career where it all began. But not every author gets to finish their own story.
The new Carolina Panthers wide receiver told some of that story on Thursday’s episode of Stribsports’ Daily Delivery podcast. Thielen, who spent a decade with the Minnesota Vikings, said he wasn’t planning on ever ditching the purple and gold.
“It was a bummer,” the 32-year-old stated. “I didn’t want to leave Minnesota. I wanted to end my career there. Obviously, that would be the perfect fairy tale way to do it, right? But that’s not reality. I’m so thankful for that organization, Kwesi [Adofo-Mensah] and [Kevin O’Connell] and the staff. The way they handled this throughout the process was first-class.”
A Detroit Lakes, Minn. native, Thielen played his high school ball for the Detroit Lake Lakers and his college ball at Minnesota State University. He’d then log nine seasons with the Vikings, amassing 6,682 yards and 55 touchdowns on 534 receptions dating back to 2014.
Now in the black and blue, Thielen has joined a retooled Panthers squad on a three-year, $25 million deal. And although the two-time Pro Bowler is away from home, he’s looking to get comfortable and show he’s still got it in Charlotte.
“For me, you have to go prove it on the field every single day. You have to show you’re not getting older and slowing down,” he said. “This was just a great offseason for me. From the day the season was over, I was able to get back to training. Get faster, stronger and more explosive.”
