Carolina Panthers wide receiver Adam Thielen revealed this week that he wanted the Kansas City Chiefs to sign him when he was a free agent last year. A year later, he'll face the Chiefs in Carolina.
"I was trying to go there but they didn't want me," Thielen told Starcade Media at the at the American Century Celebrity Golf Championship Tournament in Lake Tahoe. "I'll have to try and show them what I got."
Thielen, a former two-time Pro Bowl wideout for the Minnesota Vikings who turns 34 next month, became a free agent for the first time last season after nine years with the Vikings.
Clearly, any available receiver would prefer catching passes from Patrick Mahomes instead of a rookie Bryce Young, but Thielen took the three-year, $25 million contract from the Panthers.
Several years removed from his last Pro Bowl, many didn't expect Thielen to have many more quality years left in the tank. Despite the troubles Carolina had as a whole, specifically involving Young, Thielen managed to post his third-career 1,000 yard campaign, the first since 2018. He was the Panthers' No. 1 target by a wide margin with 103 receptions on 137 targets.
It's unclear what Thielen was asking for in terms of money from the Chiefs, but 100 catches and 1,000 yards from another receiver could've been very useful for Kansas City. Rashee Rice unexpectedly became the top option at the position as a rookie as the offense dealt with inconsistencies throughout the season.
While Thielen is hoping to experience much more success in Carolina this season, the Chiefs' receiving corps got a lot more explosive with first-round pick Xavier Worthy and the veteran hard-working speedster Hollywood Brown.
It's a bit of a shame Thielen couldn't have helped out the Chiefs when they could've used him, but the team has improved the position and he's still getting paid decent coin elsewhere. He'll get his chance to prove K.C. wrong in late November when the Chiefs face the Panthers on the road in Week 12.
