Adam Thielen trade grades: Vikings soar, Panthers flounder

On Wednesday, the Carolina Panthers finally officially traded Adam Thielen back to the Minnesota Vikings. The move involved some pick swapping, a conditional asset, and some salary restructuring, but it finally got done.

The Panthers come out with some capital and financial flexibility, but they ultimately lost their most reliable pass-catcher. The Vikings get a great player they desperately needed, but it cost them a little bit, and he's 35. How did they each do? One insider thinks the Vikings clearly won this.

Vikings seemingly fleece Panthers in ill-advised Adam Thielen trade

Bleacher Report's Kristopher Knox gave the Vikings a pristine A grade for being able to fill a major, crucial need with a player they're familiar with, who can come in and learn quickly since he's been in the offense before, and is beloved by fans.

The Panthers got a disappointing C+ grade, although Knox did admit there's some value in extracting picks from a player who wasn't going to stick around. In total, the Panthers sent a 2027 fifth and 2026 conditional seventh with Thielen for a 2026 fifth-round pick and a 2027 fourth-round pick.

"It was a logical move because the Vikings won't have No. 2 receiver Jordan Addison for the first three games of the season due to a suspension," Knox wrote. "Thielen should quickly mesh with head coach Kevin O'Connell, who joined the franchise in the receiver's final season before joining Carolina."

Unfortunately, it's not all that logical for the Panthers. "The move makes just a little less sense for the Panthers, who need Bryce Young to take the proverbial next step this season," Knox said. Thielen has been really great with the Panthers and a godsend for Young as a veteran target.

"His absence will be missed, even with new pieces like Rico Dowdle and Tetairoa McMillan joining the lineup," Knox added. "Of course, Thielen is on a one-year deal, and the Panthers are widely expected to be at least a year away from contention. From an off-field perspective, there's value in cashing in Thielen now."

This all sort of happened in the last few days. Thielen wasn't on the trade block at all. The Panthers wanted him and he wanted to stay. However, when a return to Minnesota became possible, that became Thielen's desire, and the Panthers didn't have to trade him, but it made the most sense at that point.

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