Vikings grant WR Adam Thielen's request to be waived

Field Level Media|published: Mon 1st December, 13:12 2025

NFL: Atlanta Falcons at Minnesota Vikings

Sep 14, 2025; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Minnesota Vikings wide receiver Adam Thielen (19) enters the field before the game against the Atlanta Falcons at U.S. Bank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matt Krohn-Imagn Images

The Minnesota Vikings on Monday granted wide receiver Adam Thielen's request to be waived.

Thielen, 35, is looking to pursue more playing time in his final NFL season after his role with the Vikings diminished.

Thielen was inactive Sunday for Minnesota's 26-0 loss to the Seattle Seahawks. He has eight catches for 69 yards in 11 games (four starts) this season in his second stint with the franchise.

"Adam's representation recently approached the team and asked if we would be willing to release Adam, expressing his desire to play a bigger role in the remaining weeks of what he has indicated will be his final NFL season," Vikings general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah said. "Following discussions this 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."

The Minnesota native took to social media to write a thank you letter to his "Vikings Family."

"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. This team is in my bones, it's in my heart and it's part of my DNA. I will always be a Minnesota Viking."

#Skol https://t.co/PmpGmts9lr pic.twitter.com/AAZl4B0q6j
— Adam Thielen (@athielen19) December 1, 2025

Thielen played collegiately at Minnesota State before signing with the Vikings as an undrafted free agent in 2013.

A two-time Pro Bowl selection, Thielen was released by the Vikings to save salary cap space in March 2023, and he proceeded to sign a three-year, $25 million deal with the Carolina Panthers.

Carolina traded him to Minnesota on Aug. 27, along with a seventh-round pick in 2026 and a fifth-round pick in 2027, for a 2026 fifth-round pick and a 2027 fourth-round pick.

Thielen has 693 receptions for 8,380 yards and 64 touchdowns in 173 regular-season games (132 starts).

--Field Level Media

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