Adam Thielen, Minnesota Vikings
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(Photo by David Berding/Getty Images)
Former Minnesota Vikings wideout Adam Thielen decided to hang up his cleats after the 2025 NFL season. Thielen returned to the Vikings for a second stint, but that didn’t last long, as he would then join the Pittsburgh Steelers to wrap up his career.
Thielen had 542 catches for 6,751 yards and scored 57 touchdowns in 146 games for the Vikings in his career,per StatMuse. Nonetheless, all careers end and Thielen knew that his time in the NFL was nearing.
On March 27, the former Vikings wide receiver appeared on KFAN and was asked at what point during last season he knew that it was time to step aside.
“I felt it in the way that the coaches looked at me and the management looked at me,”Thielen said. “When I went into year 10, it might have been after year 10, where I was like, ‘Oh, they don’t look at me as the same player, whether I believed it or maybe proved it or whatever.’
“I think there’s just this age and years that you kind of hit, and it’s like, ‘All right, we got to figure out a new role for him.’ And they don’t necessarily look at what you’re actually able to do.”
Adam Thielen Goes More Into Detail on Retirement Decision
Meanwhile, Thielen went into more detail regarding how the wideout felt that he hadn’t lost a step, noting that his speed was still at a level from 10 years ago. However, he noted that when a coaching staff gets an opinion of a player, it’s challenging to change their mind.
“I’ve always been a prove-it guy, and I didn’t really ever want to be like, ‘Hey, look at what I can do,'” Thielen added. “It’s like I just want to go prove it and show you that. And nowadays, with data and all the stuff that we have to wear, I felt like I was proving that my speed didn’t go down because I actually was running faster than I’ve ever run in my career.
“There was a time in OTAs in Carolina last year that I hit a speed that was compared to 2016 as my top speed. So there was a little bit of that. But again, I think there’s a time in your career when they just look at you differently, no matter what. And so that was really hard for me to take in. But that sounds terrible.”
Vikings Told to Avoid Wideout Draft Prospect
As for the Vikings, they lost Jalen Nailor to free agency, and so the depth behind Justin Jefferson and Jordan Addison is thin.
Minnesota could go the draft route to add a player or two. Nonetheless, if they do go this path, FanSided’s Austen Bundy is warning the Vikings that if they do ponder a wideout, there’s one name they need to avoid: formerArizona State Sun Devils star Jordyn Tyson.
“With the departure of Jalin Nailor in free agency and the premature passing of Rondale Moore, the Vikingsare in need of a WR3,”Bundy wrote in his article thatwas published on March 21.“Jordan Addison ison the final year of his rookie contract and could get a hugepay day in free agency if Minnesota can’t afford his services. All of those circumstances make selecting a wide receiver in the first round very tempting…
“Minnesota should hold steady and address a different need at No. 18 rather than panic and take Jordyn Tyson. The Arizona State productis considered a first-round talent and probably will be selected in the first 32 picks. That being said, he suffered a staggering number of injuries in college including a torn ACL, MCL, PCL and a pulled hamstring. His numbers despite those are incredibly impressive but should Minnesota use its first round selection on a guy who poses the risk of reaggravating any of those ailments?”