The Minnesota Vikings waived veteran wideout Adam Thielen on Monday, but this move wasn’t a typical roster shuffle. It happened because Thielen himself asked for it. The reason was straightforward: the longtime receiver plans to retire at the end of the 2025 season. And now, Thielen has made it official. In a heartfelt statement, he thanked the Vikings for everything and confirmed he’ll return to Minnesota to retire in purple.

“Since this past spring, I knew this was going to be my last season playing in the National Football League. Given that, the Vikings allowed me the opportunity to go compete elsewhere for the last few weeks of my career. Minnesota will always be our home and we are incredibly grateful to the Wilf family, Kwesi, KO, Rob and everyone in the Vikings organization for being us back in August…With gratitude and love and I’ll be back to retire.”

And now that Thielen is all set to hang up his cleats, let’s take a look at his career earnings, net worth, and more.

What is Adam Thielen’s Net Worth in 2025?

Signed as an undrafted free agent after the 2013 NFL Draft, Adam Thielen carved out a 13-year NFL career, mostly with the Vikings and a couple of seasons with the Carolina Panthers. And after more than a decade in the league, the veteran wideout has built an estimated net worth of around $20 million.

Sure, those NFL paychecks did most of the heavy lifting, but his endorsement deals and smart real-estate plays definitely helped boost his net worth, too. If reports are accurate, Thielen has partnered with eight different brands across two major categories. We’re talking about Outdoor & Sporting Goods and Retail & Consumer Goods. Among the most notable names?

3M, Adidas, and Caribou Coffee, all of which boosted his off-field earnings. But even with those deals, the backbone of Thielen’s wealth remains the contracts he earned by becoming one of the league’s most reliable receivers, an undrafted long shot who turned himself into a 2x Pro Bowler and a multimillionaire.

Adam Thielen’s NFL contract and salary

Adam Thielen worked his way from the practice squad to a starter. Following a 2016 breakout year where the receiver tallied 967 yards and five touchdowns, Minnesota kept him long-term and rewarded him with a four-year extension in March 2017 worth about $19.25 million. That contract cemented his role as the Vikings’ primary slot receiver and set the stage for a larger 2019 deal.

April 2019 brought a huge raise: Thielen agreed to a four-year, $64 million extension that included roughly $33 million guaranteed and a significant signing bonus. That contract elevated him into the team’s financial core, which reflected back-to-back 1,000-plus-yard seasons in 2017 and 2018, and locked him into a top veteran role, affecting cap planning thereafter.

After Minnesota released him in 2023, Thielen signed a three-year, $25 million deal with the Panthers. The deal included $14 million guaranteed and roughly $10 million paid in year one. It gave him security and a fresh role. In 2025, he restructured/returned to Minnesota on modified terms, trimming salary to help cap space while preserving veteran leadership. Per Spotrac, Thielen was set to earn a salary of $3 million and a restructure bonus of $1.58 million in 2025.

A look at Adam Thielen’s professional and college football career

Even before he arrived in the NFL, Adam Thielen’s college run at Minnesota State was the blueprint for his underdog story. The Minnesota native finished with 198 receptions for 2,802 yards and 20 TDs, starring as the Mavericks’ primary target. His 2012 season (74 catches, 1,176 yards, eight TDs) earned first-team All-NSIC honors and showed he could win contested throws and produce as a route-runner and returner.

However, his collegiate career didn’t yield the expected rewards, as he went undrafted in the 2013 NFL draft. However, the Vikings noticed his performance and signed him as an UDFA. With the Vikings, he steadily climbed into a top-tier slot/possession receiver. He’s a two-time Pro Bowler (2017, 2018), earned second-team All-Pro nods, and set the NFL mark for eight consecutive 100-yard games to start a season.

Fast forward to now, and after spending 13 seasons in professional football, Adam Thielen will hang up his cleats as a Viking.