New England Patriots - NESN.com
The New England Patriots are preparing for their Monday Night Football clash against the New York Giants, but ahead of this game, some interesting news came to light, as the Minnesota Vikings opted to release veteran wide receiver Adam Thielen.
The Vikings swung a trade with the Carolina Panthers over the offseason to reunite with Thielen, but he has been an afterthought on offense so far this season. While he played in all 11 games for Minnesota, he caught just eight passes for 69 yards.
As is typically the case, the Patriots were quickly linked to Thielen on the open market. After missing out on guys like fellow wide receiver Brandin Cooks and running back Dameon Pierce, Thielen could be a guy the team brings in an effort to add another weapon for Drake Maye in the passing game.
There are several reasons Thielen makes sense for New England. He has experience playing alongside Stefon Diggs, and when he was actually used in 2024 with the Panthers, he caught 48 passes for 615 yards and five touchdowns.
At this stage of the game, though, the Pats are better off leaning on the guys they’ve got in town. Diggs, Kayshon Boutte, Mack Hollins and Demario Douglas all have developed strong connections with Maye on offense, and while Thielen seems like a strong addition on paper, it remains to be seen if he’d get playing time over any of these guys.
Thielen also revealed that part of the reason he asked for his release from Minnesota is that he intends for this to be his final season in the NFL. So if Thielen comes to town and does nothing for them down the final stretch of the season, it will essentially have been a wasted move by the team.
New England has won nine straight games, thanks in large part to the success of their passing game. As the old saying goes, if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. The Pats simply do not need Thielen right now, so there’s no sense bringing him to town.
Over the offseason, it would make sense for the Patriots to pursue a superstar talent at wide receiver. At 35 years old, Thielen isn’t that guy, and while it is tempting to take a flier on him, the team is better off passing on him.
