Longtime Minnesota Vikings wide receiver Adam Thielen requested his release. File Photo by Mark Black/UPIAlex ButlerMon, December 1, 2025 at 6:07 PM UTC·2 min readDec. 1 (UPI) -- The Minnesota Vikings waived veteran wide receiver Adam Thielen, who requested his release during his final season, the team announced Monday.
"Last week Adam's representation 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 in a statement.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisement"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."
Thielen, 35, totaled eight catches for 69 yards over 11 appearances this season for the Vikings. He was inactive for the Vikings' 26-0 loss to the Seattle Seahawks on Sunday in Seattle.
Thielen, who joined the Vikings as an undrafted free agent in 2014, spent 10 of his first 12 seasons with the franchise. He spent his 2023 and 2024 campaigns with the Carolina Panthers, who traded him back to the Vikings in August.
Minnesota Vikings wide receiver Adam Thielen (R) logged 65 touchdowns over the first 173 appearances of his NFL career. File Photo by Mark Black/UPIThe two-time Pro Bowl selection hauled in 693 catches for 8,380 yards and totaled 65 scores over the first 173 appearances of his NFL career.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisement"This is tremendously difficult for me to write and certainly not how any of us imagined this to go," Thielen wrote in a statement. "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.
Veteran wide receiver Adam Thielen spent two seasons with the Carolina Panthers. File Photo by AJ Sisco/UPI"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."
Thielen said he knew since the spring that this would be his final NFL season. He plans to retire with the Vikings.
The Carolina Panthers traded wide receiver Adam Thielen to the Minnesota Vikings over the off-season. File Photo by Craig Lassig/UPIAdvertisementAdvertisement
