Carolina Panthers wide receiver Adam Thielen will play football next season. The 34-year-old will enter his 13th season as a pro in 2025. Should the Panthers trade Thielen before the season begins?
Adam Thielen To Return Next Season
Yes, Adam Thielen is coming back next year.
And Bryce Young and the Panthers’ trajectory is the major reason why.
But he admitted Thursday that retirement was a lot closer than anyone realized at the end of last season.https://t.co/O38i4hVhlP
— Darin Gantt (@daringantt) February 6, 2025
After the 2024 season, Thielen contemplated retirement. When the dust finally settled, the 34-year-old decided he had some more football left in him.
“I had said after the season, like I just need two weeks to really think about it,” Thielen said Thursday via Panthers.com. “And then once I make that decision I’m like, I’m going to do one more year. Then that’s my mindset, and here we go. I didn’t want to be wishy-washy, like maybe, maybe not.
Thielen is coming off a tough 2024 campaign that saw him miss seven games due to a hamstring injury suffered in Week 3.
The thought of retirement began to creep into Thielen’s mind. That’s why he made sure his entire family came to the Panthers’ season finale just in case it was his last game.
“I was pretty exhausted, I think I’m to that point where I’m in the middle of the road like a a big part of me wants to keep playing and giving everything I got,” Thielen said. “And a big part of me is like I’m ready to move on and spend more time with my family and move on to the second career. But again, once I make that mindset of like, all right, I’m doing this, it’s all in.”
What was the driving force for Thielen’s decision to return in 2025? Bryce Young.
“I would say that was 95 percent of the reason for wanting to play again,” Thielen said about returning to play with Young. “Because when you’re part of something, I always said the reason I came to Carolina in the first place was I wanted to be part of building something.”
Thielen continued, “So hopefully things keep progressing, and I can be a part of the end of the building process.”
Should The Panthers Trade Adam Thielen?
You know all about Adam Thielen’s dependable hands.
But what about his heart?
The #Panthers’ Walter Payton Man of the Year nominee will be honored among the league’s 32 nominees tonight in New Orleans.
How he’s made a major impact beyond the field:
https://t.co/6b0oFQ3pkd— Mike Kaye (@mike_e_kaye) February 6, 2025
With Thielen returning in 2025, now the question becomes if he should be on the Panthers roster to start the season.
Thielen is still an effective player when healthy. The former undrafted free agent registered 48 receptions for 615 yards and five touchdowns in 2024.
Thielen is clearly a fan of Young and vice versa. He’s the perfect veteran to pair with an emerging quarterback.
Thielen is entering the final year of a three-year, $25 million contract. He’s scheduled to count over $8 million against the 2025 salary cap.
Thielen’s status in Carolina will all depend on the draft. If the Panthers draft a few wide receivers, Carolina would likely be better off dealing Thielen for a late-round pick.
The best course of action might be to have Thielen start the year in Carolina and shop him at next year’s trade deadline.
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