r/panthers • u/SafeAlternative206 Raincoat Purr • 1d ago
Video Adam Thielen celebrating with his family
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u/Ok-Respond-9007 1d ago
Remember folks, when he says "we are going home" it's not because he hates the team or wanted out. He's literally going home where he grew up, lives his entire life, has family, friends, etc.
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u/a_moniker Luuuuuke 1d ago
His wife was born and raised in Minnesota as well. So their kids are likely excited to move back nearby both of their Grandparents (and the rest of their extended family).
Thielen wanting to return to Minnesota really is what tips the scale for me. Being able to gain a 4th Round Pick, cut around ~$6M in salary, and do right by Thielen’s wishes is just good business all around!
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u/Ok-Respond-9007 1d ago
Yeah, I was ok with the trade because I think this is the step Coker needs to prove that he's legit. I expect him to realistically be our number two, and potentially even number one this year. I love to watch route running and his is near perfection. He's so damn good. You can see that they are working on refining his body movement to help him gain a bit more space, but his route running was perfect going back to Holy Cross tape.
I also really believe in Renfrow and I think he's coming back and this was all a handshake deal, knowing Theilen was getting traded.
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u/a_moniker Luuuuuke 1d ago
Coker honestly looked better than Thielen for a solid bit of last season. Thielen is still damn good for his age, but he clearly did decline a bit from his first season here.
Personally, I think fans here have given up on Legette a bit too soon as well. His hands were terrible, but hands are also one of the easier skills for a WR to improve. Plenty of great WR’s (Devante Adams, Jerry Rice, Terrell Owen’s, etc) have struggled with their hands to start their careers.
I think people are also overlooking the value that the rest of the weapons on offense will provide. Ja’Tavion Sanders is the best receiving TE we’ve had since Olsen and Chuba+Dowdle should be the best rushing duo we’ve had since Double Trouble. Our offense should have more than enough weapons for Bryce to thrive. If he can’t, then he’s probably not the guy going forward.
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u/General_BP 1d ago
I think this move just tells us that the team believes in Coker. His one handed diving catch in preseason has me a believer as well. I think the dudes got it
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u/MrRegularDick 1d ago
I think it's impossible to judge Legette's hands based on last year when you know he was fighting a wrist injury most of the season.
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u/a_moniker Luuuuuke 1d ago edited 1d ago
That’s true. I just wanted to point out that even without an injury, a rookie showing bad hands is far from a death knell for their career. It’s one of the most fixable issues a young receiver can face.
Legette showed more than I expected with his ability to get open last season, and that’s an ability that correlates way more to future success at the receiver position.
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u/sirst0rmy 1d ago
It’s a good precedent to set by a front office too. Players talk and knowing that the Panthers will be tough but fair to a players wishes is a good thing long term
Hate to lose Thielen but a 4th is solid for a return
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u/Cardboardhumanoid 23h ago
Well I mean Minneapolis is still 4 hours away from where he grew up but still.
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u/Ok-Respond-9007 23h ago
I live four hours away from where I grew up to. Still NC and I still love it.
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u/Cardboardhumanoid 22h ago
Yeah fair lol just pointing out it’s not like he is going back and will be in his home but being 4 hours away certainly is very different than being across the country
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u/BoxyBrown424 Bojangles 1d ago
I get it but why even bother to come over this way.
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u/Ok-Respond-9007 1d ago
Because the Vikings didn't want to bring him back. If he wanted to stay in the NFL, he had to leave.
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u/a_moniker Luuuuuke 1d ago
I’m sure him and his family had a good time in NC as well. He’s only ever spoken positively about the team and organization.
It’s just hard to compete with being able to raise your family surrounded by all of your extended family!
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u/Ok-Respond-9007 1d ago
Yeah, I'm glad that most fans are seeing that this isn't a slight against us. I lived out of state for a while and I actually loved it there. But NC is home. It will always be home.
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u/BoxyBrown424 Bojangles 1d ago
I appreciate the explanation, rather than down voting me into oblivion. I'm not mad at him I just didn't know why he came to begin with.
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u/Ok-Respond-9007 1d ago
It's funny. If you asked this question in person to a group of Panthers fan, you would have received a response just like mine.
On Reddit, people just love to pile on or be needlessly assholes because they are seen as words on the screen instead of a human being. I am guilty of doing this myself on occasion.
I like to remind myself of that sometimes, and I also like to remind myself that a lot of the people I'm arguing with on Reddit are children/teens.
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u/colski250 1d ago
One thing this front office hasn’t gotten enough credit for of late is doing right by the players. The Cam scandal was such dividing and disparaging thing for this franchise at the time and it looks like we’re fully committed to changing that image.
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u/lots_of_sunshine 1d ago
Dan being a former player is really underrated. The dude gets it and can connect with players really well.
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u/Albert_Caboose 15h ago
Just wish we would extend an olive branch to Cam in some way. I know he's said some inflammatory things about the franchise since leaving, but honestly the guy is kinda right in some regards. Would love to see him hit the drum before a game
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u/FadeNXC Luuuuuke 1d ago
Yeah, this video kinda seals my suspicion that it mostly hinged on Thielen.
I think the Panthers FO said "we have an offer from Minnesota, do you want to go back or stay here?"
Unless the offer was insane, (like a 2nd or 3rd and some change) then I don't think we were going to do it unless AT said he'd rather play his (likely) final season with the Vikes
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u/TKfromNC Ice Up Son 1d ago
Smitty finding out he was cut by listening to WFNZ was worse than the Cam debacle to me by far. Deserved way more than that after what he did here.
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u/Mywordispoontang101 1d ago
There's a reason Gettleman is no longer employed by a football team. Smitty is kind of an asshole, but he was always a great player for us.
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u/NewtonsLawOfDeepBall 1d ago
We were really on a hot streak of franchise players leaving us and hating us for like a decade. Smitty was furious with Gettleman, I'll never understand the Deangelo Williams thing, the Cam ending and then false-start return was painful, Josh Norman didn't have great things to say about us...and there were a number of others.
This feels great and like the sign of an org run well enough that other franchises will trust us enough to do real deals with us, and the value of that just can't be underestimated.
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u/xavieryoung 1d ago
lol I’ll never forget Smitty’s revenge game against us. That was excruciating. I am def glad things seem to be getting better culture wise.
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u/NewtonsLawOfDeepBall 1d ago
What was the quote? "Put your goggles on, ’cause there’s going to be blood and guts everywhere" and then after the game "Go mow my lawn."
It was extremely painful especially since the Ravens are my #2 team
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u/pantherfanalex Bryce Young 1d ago
Legit happy for him. He deserves to choose where he ends his career. Thanks for everything, Adam.
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u/gmanasaurus 1d ago
Thanks for your time here Adam, seems like they are happy to go home. Who can blame them? We know the Vikings were 14-3 last year, but I think even if the Vikings weren't good, Adam and his family would be happy to return to where he grew up. They have family and friends there.
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u/AlphaNathan Super Cam 1d ago
well he definitely wanted to go, so i guess we can only be happy for our sweet prince
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u/FastAd74 1d ago
We all would have loved him to stay and we know we would have gotten his best because he is a Pro through and through, but truly is the one time someone can go home
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u/fleshyspacesuit Xavier Legette 1d ago
Happy for him. Think this was a win-win for both sides even thought the Vikings overpaid and ate cap.
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u/OperationFrequent643 1d ago
How is it a win for us?
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u/fleshyspacesuit Xavier Legette 1d ago
We got a 4th round pick, offloaded his salary, traded a 35 year old receiver who was being de-emphasized in our offense in training camp.
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u/OperationFrequent643 1d ago
4th round pick more than likely will never amount to the value of even a 35 year old vet. He was our qb safety target and probably still would’ve finished top 2 in passes thrown to him had he stayed healthy. I don’t see him much of a priority in camp because he’s 35 and we already know what we have in him. Idk, I’m not seeing this one. Would’ve been better for us to just keep him at least one more season. I’d take him for another season over some rando 4/5th rounds pick. He’s still that valuable.
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u/a_moniker Luuuuuke 1d ago
A 4th Round Pick is solid value. It’s basically the last round where you can regularly find starter level players (even if it’s usually at non-premium positions).
The current Org has also done solid work in the 4th. Lantham Randsom and Trevor Etienne both look like impactful pickups from this years draft and Ja’Tavion Sanders has already earned his spot as our starting TE. Chuba Hubbard is another recent impact players we’ve selected in the 4th.
I should make clear that I’m not saying we’re guaranteed to find a starting level player with a 4th Round Pick. The draft is always a crapshoot at every pick. The 4th Round is just a round where you can still have decent odds to find at least solid depth guys.
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u/OperationFrequent643 1d ago
Yeah I know we do good there but even with us the chances aren’t high. We KNOW what Adam would’ve given us this season. Even with Dan being fantastic it’s still a crap shoot. Idk though. It is what it is. I think this move could genuinely make us worse this season but I’m in the large minority so meh.
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u/a_moniker Luuuuuke 1d ago
We KNOW what Adam would’ve given us
I’m not sure I agree with this. He was still very good last season, but he did decline a decent amount from his first season with us. He also dealt with a major injury issue last season, in his age 34 season.
Theilen probably would have had another good season for us, but it wasn’t a guarantee!
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u/Panthertool 1d ago
He played 10 games and lead the team in recieving yards and receiving tds. Also he was 2nd in receptions, Leggette caught 1 more pass than he did on 22 more targets. He also was out week 4-10 so he did most of his damage after he came back from injury. It's fair to say you know what your getting.
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u/OperationFrequent643 1d ago
I trust what he would’ve given us more than I trust than a 4/5th rounder will be as valuable as him at any point in their careers, I’ll say that.
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u/Normal512 One of Us 1d ago
Not today, of course, but the team is still in a talent deficit especially on the defensive side of the ball. We've put a ton of capital into finding a QB and putting talent around him, and the team desperately needs talent and depth in other areas. Even if the 4th only becomes a backup safety - we need backup safeties. Especially young, cheap ones with a ~10% chance to develop into a quality starting safety.
After spending quite a bit of capital on the WR room in recent years, it's time for those guys to step up and they deserve that opportunity. I do think we're worse for Thielen leaving, don't get me wrong - it's rarely a good thing to move a consummate pro and veteran presence - but only slightly worse and I think the value is easily there to make the move.
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u/OperationFrequent643 1d ago
I hear you, I just respectfully disagree. I’d take Adam doing his thing this season over a backup safety who’s decent and sticks around for 5 seasons. I think moving him could make us a worse team this season and if so then we shoulda traded my mans earlier on or after this season. I hope I’m wrong and 6 weeks from now you guys are finding this and letting me know I was worried for nada but idk. I’d like for our WR roulette the have its vet proven captain.
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u/MajorPayton 1d ago
Theilen barely came back for this year. We aren’t winning the Super Bowl this year and losing Theilen isn’t the reason we won’t win it. Getting a 4th and moving our 5th up a year, while also getting to carry over 7 mil in cap is a win. I’m going to miss AT, and hopefully we can adjust, but this is still a good move
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u/OperationFrequent643 1d ago
But this year is huge for our offenses development. He’s Bryce’s vet safety target. Idc about that 7 mil or those mid round picks who more than likely won’t be near as valuable as even a 35 year old Adam. This is the season I wanted us to come in with a roulette of WRs. Of course he wouldn’t make a difference between us going to the Super Bowl or not but having him out on the field can definitely help add a few wins to our season. Our WRs are so young and un proven. Would’ve been nice to keep the vet. I thought he was important.
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u/Mr_prayingmantis Coke Head 1d ago
If a 35 year old is what makes or breaks Bryce’s development then I don’t think Bryce has what it takes to make it in the NFL. Especially after the resources we have put into that position.
That said, I think losing Adam, who did not lean on his athleticism and succeeded mostly on skill, is a huge hit to the development of our WR room. I would’ve loved to see Legette, TMac, Coker, and Horn have a(nother) full year working with Thielen to improve their game.
A 4th is not bad value, plus we freed up some money. This allows our young WRs more playing time, and I think overall its a good move, though it does have some cons.
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u/OperationFrequent643 1d ago
I’ll just take your optimistic word for it. I hope I’m wrong of course and all the WRs develop as we dream.
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u/a_moniker Luuuuuke 1d ago
You’re acting like we’re leaving Young without any weapons. Thielen wasn’t gonna make or break our offense this season, and if Bryce can’t make it work with the numerous weapons we still have on the roster, then he’s just not the guy going forward.
- Chuba + Dowdle is the best RB duo we’ve had since Double Trouble, and both players rushed for over 1,000 yards last season
- Ja’Tavion Sanders is the best pass catching TE we’ve had since Olsen, and Tremble + Evans are solid 2nd and 3rd TE’s
- We’re returning all of our players from last years top 10 O-Line
- Coker was arguably better at slot than Theilen to end the season last year
- McMillan is the highest drafted WR we’ve ever selected
- Legette has the potential to become a #1 Receiver if he can just fix his hands (and that’s a an issue that many receivers have overcome in the past) and David Moore + Jimmy Horn Jr are solid 4th and 5th options
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u/OperationFrequent643 1d ago
None of those WRs have proven anything yet. I’m super excited about our young receivers, even Horn who you didn’t mention. Coker looked great but there’s not guarantee how high his ceiling will be. Same with all the young guys really. I really would’ve liked to have a vet proven guy in our roulette. I think it could be a factor and could determine some games. Adam is nice nice when he’s healthy and he’s big it clutch situations where younger guys can f it up. He was more of a potential factor and a proven piece. I wanted to him to go along with all the guys you mentioned and I just don’t see how getting rid of him helps us.
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u/cheertea 20h ago
Disagree. Bryce worked out with Tet this offseason, Thielen worked out with JJ McCarthy. It’s not as important as you think.
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u/exenn_ 1d ago
Finally, someone with some common sense here. Everything you said was correct.
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u/OperationFrequent643 1d ago
lol man there’s people in here calling me a bad person for caring more about the panthers success than Adam being happy to play at home again. It’s a little sensitive in here today. Be careful.
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u/fatroony5 1d ago
I met him a few times and can say he seems like a genuine dude. He was always friendly with me and his kids were super respectful, very unassuming guy. Wish him well in his journey, always liked him as a player.
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u/Scarf_Darmanitan 1d ago
Of course will miss him here but dude who could be upset at that lol
Still rooting for him to do well on the Vikings and happy for how great he played for us here
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u/DankMemesNQuickNuts Ice Up Son 1d ago
I feel like people are seeing this and thinking that he must have really wanted to leave the Panthers and I dont think thats what happened here at all.
I think he would have been completely fine and happy playing here this season, but when this opportunity came up for him it meant more to him personally to play for the Vikings one last time.
This has nothing to do with him not wanting to be here and everything to do with him wanting to be in Minnesota more. Happy for him
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u/WFUTunnelAuthority 1d ago
Definitely. And also considering the context/situation in the clip, he's likely playing up his excitement to match the child's energy. When I tell my kids that my Mother In Law is visiting (wonderful woman, btw!) I chant and dance and cheer just like this because THEY get kid-level excited.
Plus this is from his wife's Instagram and -- although as a players wife at the center of ongoing negotiations, she knows fanbases latch on to every piece of news -- it's just a cute interaction. I'm sure it warms the hearts of their family back on MN to be sent clips like this.
No one should be hurt that they're cheering. Good luck AT and thanks for being a consummate pro.
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u/Acceptable_Fox_5560 1d ago
This is wild levels of cope and I don't understand why. It's OK that he didn't want to be here.
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u/NoFlimFlamtheZimZam 21h ago
You do realize he was born and raised in Minnesota? Went to highschool in Minnesota. Went to D2 college in Minnesota. Was undrafted by the Minnesota Vikings. Created an amazing career for himself in Minnesota. His wife is from Minnesota. His family lives in Minnesota. Not sure why you take it personal as a shot against Charlotte or the Panthers. I'm sure he loved his time in Charlotte and wouldn't have left unless there was an option to return home.
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u/Acceptable_Fox_5560 21h ago
These are all the things I brought up all week when I was pointing out why he wanted to be traded back to MN.
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u/NoFlimFlamtheZimZam 20h ago
Oh sorry I must of misunderstood you. I don't think it's that he wanted to leave Charlotte. Just an opportunity came to return to his home
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u/NewtonsLawOfDeepBall 1d ago
There is absolutely no way you can be mad at this. Dude came in and gave Bryce a huge boost of confidence exactly when he needed it the most and was just a hella wholesome guy.
Thanks Thielen I hope you get to ball out in this final year and give JJ the same confidence you gave to bryce.
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1d ago
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u/Brilliant-Spite-850 Bojangles 1d ago
This makes it much better. The guy gave us all he had and now he gets to spend his last year with his hometown team, the one that gave him a chance as an UDFA. And we got a fucking fourth round pick for him!
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u/Xsnane 1d ago
There are some players who I root for regardless of which team they're on, because the effort they put forward for The Panthers. Christian McCaffrey and Julius Peppers come to mind. He never gave up even when we struggled. Adam Thielen made The Panthers better. I'm sure that other Panthers agree with me that we wish you success in your life and career. It was an honor to have you on our team. Thank you for your service. Wherever you go keep on pounding.
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u/VarkingRunesong 1d ago
We got picks and he got to go home. Both sides win. If he was that big of a contributor this season for us then something has gone majorly wrong with the development of Tet, Coker, XL, Sanders and Hubbard.
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u/MedicalPoint5371 23h ago
I normally just lurk in other subs and never comment…but as a Vikes fan, I gotta say this fan base is showing a ton of class. I love it. I watched every Panthers game I could over the last couple years just so I could see my boy, and I think this season I might keep watching. I think y’all have a promising young team and I’m excited to see what you can do.
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u/Party_Inspector_4771 Luuuuuke 22h ago
Prob just taking personally but why is Carolina getting treated like a deployed location where Adam brought his fam😂
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u/UDcc123 1d ago
I thought he wanted to move to CLT initially because his wife’s family was from ATL (or something like that).
If he truly wanted to go back to MINN, then happy for him.
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u/xObscure1x 1d ago
I’m happy for Thielen. He made so many splashy and clutch plays for us. Not a whole lot of winning while he was here but he was definitely a bright spot on the team. Now he gets to go finish his career at home. All the best to him and his family. Thank you Thielen!
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u/Mywordispoontang101 1d ago
I'm not upset at all. Happy for him and his family. I WISH he had retired a Panther, but no hard feelings at all.
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u/wolfpack1986 Luuuuuke 1d ago
Gonna miss ya, AT. What a class act. Aint nothing like returning home.
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u/RyMcLovin 1d ago
Vikings fan lurking here. I realize this is a big loss for Bryce Young and you guys will miss him, but I’m just happy Mr. Minnesota Native is returning home. Hopefully you feel good about the draft compensation.
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u/ExecutiveMoose Two States 1d ago
I don’t think you could pay me enough to live in shitty Minnesota
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u/Traditional-Fan-1886 23h ago
Shiity? In what way, always heard good things about it.
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u/ExecutiveMoose Two States 20h ago
The same reason I don’t want to live in Somalia
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u/Googoogahgah88889 17h ago
Because you’re a racist?
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u/Albert_Caboose 15h ago
I befriended a Somalian here in CLT and now he's always trying to give me food and invite me to art events with his family. Gosh, don't you hate foreigners?
/s
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u/MacMillanCoD4 Luuuuuke 1d ago
Much respect to Thielen. Glad he gets to end his career with Minnesota.
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u/Pale_Mode8635 1d ago
I love this for him! I want to see him retire with Minnesota and have a nice homecoming. And I believe it’s best for our guys development. Especially with BY having to depend on someone else and he will be able to gain that trust with the guys!
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u/HereForTheRide-22 22h ago
Hate to see him go bc I was looking forward to seeing him with Bryce again. (And he’s kind of hot)
But hard to be upset at this.
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u/girafb0i Two States 22h ago
Great player, great pro. Tough sport, getting the opportunity to retire at home is a blessing and I get why he's excited.
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u/CarolinaWreckDiver 22h ago
It’s a shame to lose him, but this was the right call all the way around. The player gets to go back home to play his last year(s) with a great team.
The strong established team gets a great player to round out their WR room and give them an additional weapon for a deep playoff run.
The up-and-coming team frees up some cap space, a roster spot, and gets a good deal on draft picks that will help us keep building.
Best of luck to Adam, but this is a win-win.
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u/DoomBuggy626 20h ago
Loved him as a Panther, and sucks to see him go when things are starting to click but as a guy who loyally committed openly and blindly to this franchise and had faith in Young when no one else did, he forever has my respect as a class act and wish him the best.
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u/cheertea 20h ago
I’m not mad at Adam Thielen at all, I would likely do the same if I was in his shoes. As a Charlotte sports fan though, the thing that grates on you as the years go by is how excited everyone always is to leave here. Like PJ Washington was practically doing cartwheels. No one is ever excited to come here. If we get an athlete that grew up here, they never clamor to come home. Steph Curry would rather die. So it’s a cumulative thing. Funny thing is every non athlete is clamoring to move here though.
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u/Prime_HS Greg Olsen 18h ago
I'm pretty sure it's more just a making a best of any situation.
He would have loved to have stayed...
He now loves that he gets to go home
I'm really going to miss that guy!
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u/YaboyChris28 Retro Logo 1d ago edited 1d ago
Purposely or not, hard not to feel like this is throwing a little shade at the Panthers by posting this celebratory video on social media right after being traded off the team
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u/ProbablyAPun 1d ago
I'm a Vikings fan going through your sub to see the reaction. This would be like a guy who was born in North Carolina, who went to high school there, who played D2 college ball there, who was a UDFA on the pro team there, who had a long career there, whose wife and entire family was from there, then left for a few years to go play in Minnesota, then was excited to go back home.
This isn't a Vikings vs Panthers thing, this is a guy being excited to go back to where he lived and built a life for 32 years.
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u/YaboyChris28 Retro Logo 1d ago
You don’t have to explain it to me, I get it. My point still stands though. Just a little distasteful/disrespectful/rude etc to post that on social media for all Panthers fans to see. Still wish him luck though.
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u/Traditional-Fan-1886 23h ago
Celebrating with his kids cause they get to go home and play his last year with his home town team. That is disrespectful and rude? You are easily offended. I guess we should not celebrate anything cause someone maybe getting their feeling hurt cause their soft.
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u/Independent-Alps467 17h ago
I get it - timing is a bit suspect and I get it from his perspective too. I’m happy for him to be home and Carolina came out great too on getting a return for a guy that likely was his last year there. Seems like a rare win-win trade as long as Carolina has some depth and brings back renfrow and hopefully he’s got enough gas in the tank to help McCarthy establish himself. Adam is a good dude that will be rooting for Carolina to succeed this year and I can almost guarantee he’s still going to be in contact with those guys still helping any way he can
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u/Googoogahgah88889 17h ago edited 17h ago
Let me guess… conservative? So soft ya gotta be
Edit: lol knew it. Blocked too, soooo soft
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u/YaboyChris28 Retro Logo 17h ago edited 17h ago
Oh look, A democrat making politics their personal identity and bringing it up in every facet of life
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u/TurtleRockDuane Retro Logo 1d ago
It hurts that he never thought of Carolina as “home”, Like he felt Minnesota was “home” in the video.
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u/MorningUpbeat5729 1d ago
If it makes you feel better, Adam was born, raised, went to high school, college, and played the majority of his nfl career in Minnesota. His wife is from Minnesota and their family lives in Minnesota.
I dont think this should be viewed as any sort of knock or insult to NC or the Panthers.
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u/2wacky2backy 1d ago
Minnesota IS his home. Born and raised. Charlotte was where he lived for work for a couple years.
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u/Pitiful_Aioli_5030 1d ago
I don’t think anyone ever feels like Chawlit is home. Lived there over a decade and it felt like I was just there for work.
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u/OperationFrequent643 1d ago edited 1d ago
Call me wrong but why would I care too about Adam being happy more than the panthers being better? He’s not a panthers legend, could barely stay on the field for us (I know from someone who works with them personally that he was sitting a few games he could’ve played), and he was only a panther for 2 seasons. He hasn’t earned that from me. Cool for him but I feel like we needed him and I’m not sure why Dan was so bent on making him happy. Us first Dan. This is a business.
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u/jason81175 Bryce Young 1d ago
Somebody hurt you bad huh
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u/OperationFrequent643 1d ago
Idk man. I’m always being told professional sports is a business and I’m a hurt person because I don’t see the benefit of this move and I’m not over the moon that a guy gets to go play at home..again I may add. If that makes me “hurt” or “bad” then it is what it is.
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u/jason81175 Bryce Young 1d ago
Let me try to help you understand if you’re willing to listen. Adam came back only because he believed in Bryce and what we were building. All signs point to him retiring after this year. If we kept him and let’s say he had 45 catches for 600 yards then leaves and we get nothing. By us trading him we dump $7 mil of cap. Great business decision. We get 2 draft picks (1 actually since we gave up one as well) so basically we get a future player for a retiring player. Another good decision. By him leaving it gives our young receivers, who hopefully will be here for more than this year, more reps in games. A great business decision. And the cherry on top, it opens up room for us to bring back Renfrow. So while it will hurt to lose Adam for this year, maybe, it sets us up a lot better for this year and the future. Make sense?
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u/OperationFrequent643 1d ago
Of course that makes sense and idk what gave you any idea that I wouldn’t listen. I’m not a moron. I just don’t agree. I think having Adam this season would be worth it. He’s not gonna hog that many snaps so the young guys would still get their reps especially if they’re out performing him. and I’d rather have Adam than Hunter. I honestly don’t care too much about the mid round picks. They could turn into starters and if so cool for future us. I just liked us on offense alot better with Adam available for us with the young guys.
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u/jason81175 Bryce Young 1d ago
I don’t disagree with you that having Adam would be beneficial. I just think that they did him a solid by letting him finish his career in MN.
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u/jeremydurden 22h ago
I think other players do take note of this sort of thing as well. Maybe I'm wrong, but it seems like other vets might be more likely to pick Carolina over another team when they see how the front office treats people. For some it's always going to just be about who can pay the most money (respect—it's your job) but some guys are going to value other stuff.
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u/UnableCover1760 1d ago
You sound like a terrible person.
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u/OperationFrequent643 1d ago edited 1d ago
How am I a terrible person? I don’t even know that dude, and I’m terrible because I don’t really care that a successful 35 year old millionaire is getting to play at home. The same home he was blessed to play for, for 11 years before he came here. I’m not trying to sound like a bad person, I’m trying to come from a business minded aspect. As a team I don’t understand why him back in Minnesota was a priority over how his presence could’ve helped the offense and Bryce this season. For a man like Adam this is little. Has the rest of life after football to live in Minny. Most players don’t even get to play for their hometowns.
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u/UnableCover1760 1d ago
Sometimes its best to just say nothing. You should try it.
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u/OperationFrequent643 1d ago
I just have an unpopular opinion, it’s not as serious as you’re trying to make it. All I hear is pro sports is a business first and now I should hush because in this case I don’t think it’s better for the team, and I happen to care about what’s better for the team than where one guy gets to end his career.
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u/ahundredpercentbutts 1d ago
Because you can either be happy for a guy getting to go home to his family, upset about something you have no ability to affect, or indifferent (in which case you probably wouldn’t be commenting here).
We’re not going to the Super Bowl this year. We are at most an outside shot to make the playoffs with or without Thielen. We’ll be in a better spot after this season than if we had kept him and let him retire for nothing.
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u/OperationFrequent643 1d ago
Bro it’s not that I’m not happy for him I’m just like okay, cool for bro. I simply think it makes us worse this season. But yeah I’ll just have to take y’all’s word for it that we’ll be better because of it in the future. We do pretty well with mid round picks.
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u/cakemazi 1d ago
We got a decent compensation for a 35 year old who is possibly 1 year away from retirement.. Clears almost 8 mil in cap space for next season.. And we reunite a leader with his franchise and family. He did his job here. It’s a win-win.
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u/OperationFrequent643 1d ago
We shouldn’t care about re-uniting a “leader” with his “family”. Keep all that softness outta here. People keep bringing up his age as if he weren’t still extremely valuable to Bryce and the team. The 4/5th rounds picks we get from them probably won’t be half as valuable as Adam would’ve been to us even just this season. I don’t know why we felt the need to this. How do we gain with those mid round picks?
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u/cakemazi 1d ago
Softness 😂 softness is holding on to the fantasy that an old receiver on the outs is better than developing our young guys and giving them the snaps they need to hopefully get to where Adam was when he was in his prime.
I loved Adam on this team, but freeing up cap space and developing young talent is key. He obviously wanted to go back too.
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u/SafeAlternative206 Raincoat Purr 1d ago
I think it's okay for people to be upset to see a guy who was one of the few bright spots on our team leave. But I did share this because it's a good reminder that the circumstances of this trade couldn't have been better. He's happy, his family is happy, and we got good compensation.
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u/WhoUCuh 1d ago
There is nothing to be upset about. He was playing his last season. There was no long-term commitment with Thielen.
We won this trade and on top of that we just gave Coker a bigger role. There is no need to be mad at anything. Thielen wasn't some Panthers legend. He was here for a few years and happened to be our best WR.
He wanted to finish his last season home. Time to move on.
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u/Bagombo-SnuffBaux Raincoat Purr 1d ago
Speak for yourself, Chief.
Got a couple picks out of it, resign Renfrow, and let the young guns loose.
This was a win / win for all involved.
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u/OperationFrequent643 1d ago
I disagree man. Theilan would be our best or second best WR and definitely our QBs comfort vet target on a year where we’re finally projected to turn things around a bit. 4/5th rounds picks barley turn into regular rotation starters so the chances of getting someone substantial is low. Meanwhile he would be very valuable to us even if only for this season. I’m not seeing it as a win to get rid of someone who’s important for us now just for the chance that a 4/5th round pick will be half of the talent of Adam. I’m not mad at people for being happy about it but me personally, could care less. Dude only played a couple of injured seasons and he was nice but not nice enough for me to be more happy about him going home than I am upset that the panthers seemingly let him go for happiness and role players.
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u/Ross_1234 1d ago
He never showed any sign of wanting to leave when it came to practice or work ethic total respect to him happy he gets to go home