Insider fairly questions why Panthers traded Adam Thielen

The Panthers might've made a mistake.

Aug 2, 2025; Charlottle, NC, USA; Carolina Panthers wide receiver Adam Thielen (19) waits to run a route during Fanfest at Bank of America Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images | Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images

The Carolina Panthers have one reliable pass-catcher in Tetairoa McMillan. They expected to have more, which is why they felt safe trading Adam Thielen away. But since then, things have not gone well. Xavier Legette is an umitigated disaster.

Jimmy Horn Jr. is a healthy scratch. Brycen Tremayne is a special teams player. Ja'Tavion Sanders has struggled. David Moore hardly sees the field. Jalen Coker is hurt. Hunter Renfrow has been solid, but he's still not a guy who can really make a play for Bryce Young.

It begs the question from a pair of NFL insiders: Why did they trade Thielen in the first place? Sure, it sounded like he wanted to go back to Minnesota once it became an option, but the Panthers were under no obligation to send him home.

Josh Kendall and Chad Graff, who did The Athletic's Power Rankings heading into Week 3, said the early overreaction to Carolina's 0-2 start has to be that the wide receiver choices make zero sense for the team.

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 | Matt Krohn-Imagn Images

"No. 8 pick Tetairoa McMillan looks like a good pick. He’s eighth in the league in receiving yards (168) after two weeks. Everything else is a mess. Last year’s first-round pick, wide receiver Xavier Legette, has four catches for 8 yards. Why exactly did Carolina trade Adam Thielen to Minnesota? Did he guilt them into it?" they wrote.

It is fair to say that Renfrow, who's been a bit more successful this year than Thielen has, is at least providing enough production to make up for the trade, but it still hasn't aged all that well. Thielen's absence forced Legette to the WR2 role, and he is just not good enough for that.

Coker's injury hurts as well. Having Renfrow, Legette, McMillan, Thielen, and Coker might've been overkill, but now the Panthers only have two of those in all reality, as Legette is a nonfactor right now.

They are also missing Thielen's reliability. He was where he needed to be and he could make the catches he needed to make. He was Bryce Young's safety valve, and he's gone now, leaving one reliable receiver in his wake.

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