Adam Thielen relishes his return home to the Vikings after a two-year family adventure with Panthers

EAGAN, Minn. (AP) — Adam Thielen naturally kept Minnesota as his family’s offseason home after he joined the Carolina Panthers, surrounded by relatives and friends and the familiarity of his native state.

Earlier this summer, just like during the last one, Thielen was invited to join some throwing sessions in the Twin Cities area that included a new Vikings quarterback.

How convenient. Those workouts wound up giving Thielen a jump start in his chemistry with J.J. McCarthy, seemingly foreshadowing a return for the 35-year-old wide receiver to his original team and beloved home.

What stood out to Thielen immediately was McCarthy’s work ethic, mindset and communications skill, even in an informal session involving players on different teams.

“When we were working out together, there was no thought of actually playing together,” Thielen said on Thursday after his arrival at Vikings headquarters on the heels of the trade with the Panthers that reunited him with the only other team he’s played for. “But at the time, I had so much respect for him and how he approaches the game, even in the summer months when you don’t really have to do those things.”

Thielen, who was acquired with a conditional 2026 seventh-round draft pick and a 2027 fifth-round pick from the Panthers for a 2026 fifth-round pick and a 2027 fourth-round pick, has the third-most catches in Vikings history behind Cris Carter and Randy Moss, two Pro Football Hall of Fame members he grew up avidly rooting for.

“I just didn’t think that this was even a possibility. I thought the next time that I would be talking to you guys would be when I was signing a one-day contract and retiring, so this is pretty surreal,” Thielen said to reporters on the indoor practice field. “I’m going to take advantage of every second I’m going to be back in this building.”

Thielen was careful to clarify he wasn’t looking to leave the Panthers, who went 7-27 over his two seasons. He raved about the quality of the people he worked with, from quarterback Bryce Young to the kitchen staff at the practice facility. After being released by the Vikings for salary cap relief following the 2022 season, Thielen took his wife and three young children on a temporary relocation to North Carolina they won’t soon forget.

“We grew a lot closer as a family, having to kind of do this little adventure on our own,” Thielen said. “Our whole time in Minnesota, we had family, friends, loved ones right here.”

As he bro-hugged his way through the building, Thielen clearly had a couple of favorites in mind to find in coach Kevin O’Connell and wide receiver Justin Jefferson. He compared the reunion with Jefferson to coming back from college and meeting up with a childhood friend.

“It’s like you never left, like it was yesterday. And that’s how I felt with Justin. It was like we’ve never been on a different team,” Thielen said. “I love that guy to death and have so much respect for him on and off the field, and we have such a great relationship. It’s good to be back.”

When the regular season begins on Sept. 8 at Chicago, the Vikings won’t have Jordan Addison because of a three-game suspension. They aren’t sure yet whether Jalen Nailor will be healthy enough to play after injuring his hand in a joint practice with the New England Patriots. Tai Felton is a rookie. Thielen could well join Jefferson in the starting lineup, sliding back into O’Connell’s system and catching passes from a kid he’s already worked with.

“I’m going to make sure this emotion doesn’t just fade away,” Thielen said. “It’s going to be hopefully something that lasts my entire time here, just how appreciative I am to be here.”

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