Detroit Lakes, MN (KDLM) – The Minnesota Vikings have waived veteran wide receiver Adam Thielen, granting the 35-year-old’s request to seek more playing time elsewhere as he approaches the end of his NFL career, the team announced Monday.
Thielen’s agent approached the Vikings last week and asked for his release, expressing the receiver’s desire to play a bigger role in what he has confirmed will be his final NFL season. The move came one day after Thielen was a healthy scratch for Minnesota’s 26-0 shutout loss to the Seattle Seahawks—the team’s first shutout in 18 years.
In an emotional social media post, the Detroit Lakes, Minnesota native acknowledged the disappointing end to what had been envisioned as a storybook homecoming. “This is tremendously difficult for me to write and certainly not how any of us imagined this to go,” Thielen wrote. “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.”
Thielen managed just eight receptions for 69 yards in 11 games this season for the struggling 4-8 Vikings, who rank second-to-last in the NFL in plays run. He was buried on the depth chart behind Justin Jefferson, Jordan Addison and Jalen Nailor, all of whom have remained healthy after various injury concerns early in the season.
The Vikings reacquired Thielen this summer in a trade with the Carolina Panthers, sending a 2026 fifth-round pick and 2027 fourth-rounder to Carolina for Thielen, a conditional 2026 seventh-round pick and a 2027 fifth-round selection. The team agreed to take on $5 million of his salary.
Thielen’s legacy with the Vikings remains secure. He ranks third in franchise history with 55 touchdown catches, fourth in receptions with 542, and fifth in receiving yards with 6,751 from his first nine seasons with the team (2013-2022). The two-time Pro Bowler went undrafted out of Division II Minnesota State-Mankato before making the Vikings as a tryout player.
Because the transaction occurred after the NFL trade deadline, Thielen will now go through the waiver process and can be claimed by any of the other 31 teams. If he clears waivers, he’ll become a free agent and can sign with any team, presumably a playoff contender seeking veteran depth at receiver.
Thielen indicated he plans to return to Minnesota to formally retire as a Viking once his playing career concludes. “I will ALWAYS be a Minnesota Viking,” he wrote. “I’ll be back to retire.”
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