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Panthers-Vikings trade talks for Adam Thielen stall - what's the hold up?

According to accounts of NFL insiders, the trade that would send Thielen back to Minnesota has hit a snag and may not happen.
Tim Weaver|
Dec 22, 2024; Charlotte, North Carolina, USA; Carolina Panthers wide receiver Adam Thielen (19) takes the field during the first quarter against the Arizona Cardinals at Bank of America Stadium. |
Dec 22, 2024; Charlotte, North Carolina, USA; Carolina Panthers wide receiver Adam Thielen (19) takes the field during the first quarter against the Arizona Cardinals at Bank of America Stadium. | | Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images

On Friday the chatter around veteran wide receiver Adam Thielen potentially being traded from the Carolina Panthers to the Minnesota Vikings reached a fever pitch, and multiple NFL insiders reported that the two teams were actively discussing a deal. It seemed like the trade was imminent at one point, but no deal was ever announced, and now it sounds like the negotiations may have hit an impassable road block.

Here's all the latest on the talks between Carolina and Minnesota. First, Josina Anderson is reporting that the Thielen trade proposal is considered "not likely" to happen at this point.

So, what happened? Other reports suggest that the two teams were discussing a Day 3 draft pick to get swapped for Thielen. However, it sounds like the Panthers really wanted to drive the stake in and were asking for a third-round pick, while the Vikings were unwilling to go higher than a fourth.

Asking for a third-round pick for a 35-year old wide receiver is pretty revealing. For one thing, Thielen is more valuable to the Panthers than he will be to the Vikings, even if Carolina's wide receiver room seems to be overcrowded at the moment.

More importantly, it signals that Carolina really isn't all that keen on sending Thielen away in the first place unless they get a stupid return - which a third-rounder would qualify as.

As Panthers insider Joe Person pointed out on Twitter yesterday, Carolina is in a rare position where they hold the cards, here - and they shouldn't just give Thielen away.

From where we're sitting trading Thielen is a bad idea, even if it would offer clarity in the wide receiver room. Thielen has been by far Bryce Young's most-reliable target over the last two seasons and there's no guarantee that guys like Xavier Legette, Jalen Coker and Tetairoa McMillan are ready to take on an expanded role in the passing game.

Unless they really can get a third or a fourth-round pick from a team that's likely to finish high in the draft order, Carolina is better off keeping Thielen around.

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Tim Weaver
TIM WEAVER

Tim Weaver has been writing about the NFL since the 2013 season for multiple teams and outlets, including USA Today and The Sporting News. He currently covers the Seattle Seahawks and Carolina Panthers for On SI.