The Minnesota Vikings have waived Adam Thielen at the veteran wide receiver’s request, 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. 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,” general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah said in a statement.
Thielen, who was a healthy inactive for Minnesota’s loss at Seattle on Sunday, has played 10 of his 12 seasons with the Vikings. He rejoined the franchise this season after he was traded to Minnesota by the Carolina Panthers, who he had played for in 2023 and ’24 after he was released by the Vikings in March of ’23.
In a statement posted to social media, Thielen, 35, said he’s known since the spring that this would be his final NFL season.
#Skol https://t.co/PmpGmts9lr pic.twitter.com/AAZl4B0q6j
— Adam Thielen (@athielen19) December 1, 2025
“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,” he wrote in his statement.”
Thielen has eight receptions for 69 yards in 11 games this season, but he had a 1,000-yard season as recently as 2023 when he had 103 catches for 1,014 yards for the Panthers.
He ranks third all-time in touchdown catches (55), fourth in receptions (542) and fifth in receiving yards (6,751) in Vikings franchise history.
