The New England Patriots have the best record in the NFL, but missing out on a good opportunity is still difficult.
New England missed out on claiming former All-Pro and Pro Bowl wide receiver Adam Thielen from the waiver wire because the Pittsburgh Steelers grabbed him instead. The former Minnesota Vikings star, who has made $89.91 million in his career, wanted out at age 35 to join a contending team in what will be his final NFL season.
Minnesota stumbled to 4-8, and his return to his home state team didn’t work out in the end. Instead of reuniting with former teammate and Patriots wide receiver Stefon Diggs, Thielen opted for former rival and Steelers quarterback Aaron Rodgers.
In addition, the Steelers have a more perilous path ahead at 6-6 in an AFC North where the Baltimore Ravens (6-6) have rallied, and Cincinnati Bengals (4-8) haven’t quit. Thielen nonetheless will at least get a shot at the playoffs with a team in first place for a division versus a Vikings team that just got shut out 26-0 to the Seattle Seahawks.
If the Patriots had brought in Thielen, he would have brought leadership and experience to a still relatively young locker room. Thielen and Diggs played for the 2017 Vikings team that reached the NFC Championship Game and won a road playoff game in the 2019 season before Diggs was traded to the Buffalo Bills.
Diggs joined the Patriots this year amid the team’s ascent, but his former Vikings teammate, Thielen, won’t be joining the Super Bowl chase in Foxborough.
Patriots Have a Strong and Healthy WR Room
Missing out on Thielen isn’t the end of the world.
That’s not because he only had eight receptions for 69 yards in 11 games, however. Thielen had 48 receptions for 615 yards and five touchdowns with the Carolina Panthers in 2024 before the team traded him to Minnesota.
He certainly could have contributed in New England to some degree, but the Patriots are set and healthy at wide receiver overall. Diggs leads the way with 64 receptions for 705 yards and three touchdowns.
Kayshon Boutte has been a solid second wideout with 29 catches for 481 yards and six touchdowns. Mack Hollins has likewise been reliable with 35 receptions for 440 yards and two touchdowns, and DeMario Douglas has another good season going with 27 catches for 402 yards and three touchdowns.
New England has found additional production from Kyle Williams, who has five receptions for 143 yards and two touchdowns. That’s just the wide receivers, as the Patriots have solid production from both tight ends and running backs in the passing game.
In addition, the Patriots wideouts have stayed relatively healthy this season — even with Diggs coming back from a significant injury. Diggs has played in all 13 games, and only Boutte has missed games this season, and it was just two.
Patriots Could Add Another Wideout Later
Though the health and production is there for New England, that doesn’t mean the Patriots couldn’t snag a wideout somewhere later.
Injuries happen, and the Patriots have a relatively young receiver room after Diggs. If the Patriots could find a veteran wideout with postseason experience for leadership purposes, it wouldn’t hurt to spend a little bit of the $53 million in salary cap space for that reason.
Like Heavy Sports’s content? Be sure to follow us.
This article was originally published on Heavy Sports
The post Patriots Lose Out On $89 Million All-Pro WR to AFC Rival appeared first on Heavy Sports.