Adam Thielen says he wants to play for a winner in his last NFL season. That’s why he got the Minnesota Vikings to agree to release him on December 1.
The Denver Broncos are winners of 9 straight games and control their own fate to be the top seed in the AFC playoffs. They also need wide receivers. Kind of desperately.
See where we’re going here?
The Broncos should move quickly to sign Thielen after the Vikings let the former NFL All-Pro pursue a better end to his career than whatever catastrophe is happening in Minnesota right now, where the Vikings are 4-8 and in last place in the NFC North just one year after going 14-3 in the regular season.
“Adam Thielen said this will be his last NFL season and he would like to finish it with a team that is competing to advance in the postseason,” ESPN’s Adam Schefter wrote on his official X account.
In 12 games this season, Thielen has 8 catches for 69 yards and no touchdowns.
While that might scream “stay away” if you’re a Broncos fan, consider Vikings NFL All-Pro wide receiver and potential future Pro Football Hall of Famer Justin Jefferson had just 2 receptions for 4 yards in a 26-0 loss to the Seattle Seahawks in Week 13 and is on track for a career worst season.
“Not sure the Broncos are in the WR market but perhaps worth at least noting that GM George Paton has a long shared history with Adam Thielen in Minnesota,” The Denver Post’s Parker Gabriel wrote on X.
If the Broncos aren’t in the market for a wide receiver, they should be. What Thielen could do for them down the stretch could be critical to making a deep playoff run.
Broncos Don’t Have Depth at Wide Receiver
Beyond veterans in wide receiver Courtland Sutton and tight end Evan Engram, you can’t really say the Broncos have a reliable pass catching option — and Engram has spent most the season MIA.
The moment started to look too big for wide receiver and rookie third round pick Pat Bryant in a 27-26 overtime win over the Washington Commanders in Week 13, where he had several critical drops, catching 3 passes for 42 yards on 7 targets.
Thielen could be the steady hand the Broncos need.
Bryant has 18 receptions for 273 yards and 1 touchdown through 12 games and saw extended time against the Commanders in place of second year wide receiver Troy Franklin.
“My theory on Pat Bryant playing over Troy Franklin this week is that it’s blocking related,” Fantasy Alarm’s Andrew Cooper wrote on his official X account. “Despite Franklin playing over 150 more snaps this year, Bryant has played more run snaps. This week Franklin was only in the game for 2 designed runs. His man makes the tackle here.”
Thielen Had Dominant Years With Vikings
Thielen was on his second stint with the Vikings in 2025 after they acquired him in a trade with the Carolina Panthers in August. He previously played for the Vikings from 2013 to 2022 and had the best years of his career there, earning NFL All-Pro honors in 2017 and becoming a 2-time Pro Bowler.
Thielen had 103 receptions for 1,014 yards for the Panthers in 2023 and was still effective in 2024 with 62 receptions for 656 yards in just 10 games.
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