Former Minnesota Vikings wide receiver Adam Thielen has already found a new home.
Thielen recently announced that this will be his final NFL season and asked Minnesota for his release so that he could finish his career playing a more significant role for a team in playoff contention. The Vikings obliged, and on Tuesday, December 2 the Pittsburgh Steelers swiped Thielen off the waiver wire.
“Thielen previously reduced his salary by $2 million and gave up $4 million in incentives when he was traded to the Vikings in late August,” Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk reported. “That gesture made his contract more attractive on waivers.”
Adam Thielen Put Up Limited Production in Latest Stint With Vikings
GettyFormer Minnesota Vikings wide receiver Adam Thielen.
Thielen came over from the Carolina Panthers just ahead of the regular season with a legitimate chance to make a splash. The league suspended wideout Jordan Addison for three games to start the year, which put Thielen in position to compete with Jalen Nailor for WR2 snaps behind Justin Jefferson for essentially the first month of the campaign.
However, Thielen never took off or developed a strong connection with first-year starting quarterback JJ McCarthy. His best game of the year game of the year came in Week 2 against the Atlanta Falcons, during which Thielen made two catches for 26 yards on just three targets.
He ultimately played in 11 of 12 games for the Vikings this year, starting four of those contests and finishing with eight receptions and 69 yards on 18 targets.
Adam Thielen Sent Heartfelt Message to Vikings Fans
GettyWide receiver Adam Thielen, formerly of the Minnesota Vikings.
Thielen remains a fan-favorite in Minnesota, where he grew up and went to college.
All told, he spent a decade with the Vikings. Thielen played in 146 games for the franchise and made 105 starts. He was a Pro Bowler in 2017 and 2018 and earned second-team All-Pro honors in 2017.
Thielen finished his Vikings career with 542 catches for 6,751 receiving yards and 55 TDs. When he retires at the end of this season, he will do so at 35 years old.
He penned a goodbye message to Vikings fans on Monday to coincide with his release, which he posted to his X account.
“As a Minnesota native, putting on this uniform over the years and representing this community both on and off the field has always meant that much more to me. This team is in my bones, it’s in my heart and it’s part of my DNA. I will ALWAYS be a Minnesota Viking,” Thielen wrote. “Since this past Spring, I knew this was going to be my last season in the National Football league. Given that, the Vikings allowed me the opportunity to go compete elsewhere for the last few weeks of my career.”
Thielen joins a Steelers (6-6) team that is tied with the Baltimore Ravens for the lead in the AFC North Division. Neither team is likely to win a wildcard berth into the playoffs considering the records around them within the conference, which means Thielen will have five games to help put Pittsburgh over the top in the division.
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