Vikings waive wide receiver Adam Thielen to allow veteran to pursue more playing time elsewhere

EAGAN, Minn. (AP) — The Minnesota Vikings waived wide receiver Adam Thielen on Monday, allowing the 13-year veteran an opportunity for more playing time elsewhere down the stretch of his expected final NFL season and ending a disappointing return to his original team.

Thielen had just eight catches for 69 yards for the Vikings (4-8) this year and was a healthy scratch for their game at Seattle on Sunday, a 26-0 loss that was their first shutout in 18 years. With the Vikings struggling badly on offense, Thielen was rarely used behind their top three wide receivers Justin Jefferson, Jordan Addison and Jalen Nailor.

Vikings general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah said Thielen’s agent asked last week for his release so he could find a more significant role with another club. Thielen plans to retire after this season.

“Following discussions through the weekend and out of respect for Adam, we have agreed to give him the opportunity to pursue more playing time elsewhere. Adam is one of the all-time great Vikings, and we wish him and his family continued success,” Adofo-Mensah said.

Thielen posted on social media that he decided last spring this would be his final season, expressing appreciation for team ownership, the front office and coaching staff in the deal that brought him back to the Vikings, who signed him after he came to rookie minicamp on a tryout from the NCAA Division II level at Minnesota State.

“This is tremendously difficult for me to write and certainly not how any of us imagined this to go,” Thielen said. “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 part of my DNA.”

Thielen was acquired in a trade at the end of training camp from Carolina for depth, with Addison serving a three-game suspension to start the season and both Jefferson and Nailor missing practice time to injuries. But they’ve all been healthy since then, and with the Vikings offense running the second-fewest plays in the league the opportunities simply haven’t been there. Rookie wide receivers Myles Price and Tai Felton have also had regular game-day roster spots for their special teams roles.

The 35-year-old 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. The Vikings agreed to take on $5 million in salary with Thielen.

“There was zero negativity to the conversations,” coach Kevin O’Connell said. “It was more so the competitor in him, and he wanted to finish this thing off the right way.”

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