The Kansas City Chiefs enter December with little room for error at 6-6, but the addition of a former All-Pro wide receiver could help.
That’s former second-team All-Pro and two-time Pro Bowl wide receiver Adam Thielen, who was released by request from the Minnesota Vikings (4-8) on Monday. Thielen, 35, wants to finish his career with a contender, and the Chiefs still fit that bill despite sitting on the outside looking in at the playoff picture.
Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes could use another target in a passing game that has seen ups and downs this season. Thielen still has something left though the Vikings hardly played him amid eight receptions for 69 yards this season.
Kansas City would add another seasoned veteran leader with Thielen at low cost. He has been to a conference championship game before, and Thielen has been part of a road playoff win before — both during his first stint with the Vikings.
Thielen could help take the load off of Rashee Rice, Hollywood Brown, Xavier Worthy, Tyquan Thorton, and JuJu Smith-Schuster. While Thielen’s second stint in Minnesota didn’t pan out, he had 48 catches for 615 yards and five touchdowns with the Carolina Panthers in 2024.
Thielen was catching passes from Panthers quarterback Bryce Young at the time, and Young had a long way to climb to obtain Mahomes’ level of play at the time. Kansas City has $3.17 million in salary cap space to work with, so bringing in Thielen at a league minimum could work from a financial standpoint.
Adam Thielen Could Buy Into Andy Reid’s Take on Playoff Chances
Kansas City’s playoff chances are under 40% in general, which means the Chiefs will need some outside help to make the postseason — an unusual situation for a team that has won the past three AFC championships. That could be a legitimate reason for Thielen to pass on the Chiefs, but head coach Andy Reid won’t let the metrics stop his team from making a serious playoff push.
“If you’re coming to me,” Reid told reporters on Monday. “We’re going to go after you every game, and that’s how we roll. We’re going to tickle your tonsils on every play, every game. But that’s the attitude we’re coming in with, and then you let the chips fall where they may.”
Kansas City could pull it off as the team did in 2017 with a 6-6 mark before the league had a 17-game season.
“Every season is different,” Reid said. “This is a sport of challenges. That’s what it is. It’s probably a microcosm of life as you look at it.”
“There’s always challenges.,” he added. “There’s such a small margin between winning and losing that every week is a challenge, a major challenge. That’s how you have to approach it, and you have to be ready for it.”
Adam Thielen Set On Final Season
Whether the Chiefs or another team lands Thielen, he is set on this being his final season. He made that clear in his social media announcement to Vikings fans on Monday.
“Since this past spring, I knew this was going to be my last season playing in the National Football League,” Thielen wrote. “Given that, the Vikings allowed me the opportunity to go compete elsewhere for the last few weeks of my career.”
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