Former Minnesota Vikings wide receiver and two-time Pro Bowl Adam Thielen announced his retirement from the NFL following a 13-season career only a month ago. Thielen primarily spent 9 years of his career playing for the Vikings, where he set a career record with nine 100-yard receiving games in a single season. And now, the Vikings legend and NFL star, while enjoying a post-retirement break, admitted that he may be open to a comeback.

“I will never say never,” said Thielen on a recent episode of The Ross Tucker Podcast. “There is definitely a chance that happens, and I do come back. I will say that is a very very, very small chance, 0.1% chance that actually happens.”

The 35-year-old started his NFL career in 2013 when the Vikings signed him to add depth to the roster after he went undrafted a year before. Thielen pulled off a remarkable comeback story, wearing the purple, white, and gold, where he spent the first ten years of his career, transitioning from an undrafted rookie into a reliable veteran.

The WR’s career at the Vikings was defined by two back-to-back Pro Bowl honors (2017 and 2018). In 2018, he carved his name in NFL history by becoming the second receiver to hit the 100-yard mark in eight consecutive games alongside Detroit Lions legend Calvin Johnson.

After becoming a regular starter from the 2016 season, he never looked back. The 35-year-old has 8,497 receiving yards and 64 touchdowns in 178 career games. But his role as a starter diminished in the final season, reportedly leading to his decision to walk away from the game.

“I was getting burnt out,” said Thielen in the same podcast about his retirement decision. “I wasn’t playing on Sundays but the OTAs, training camps, the grind.”

Additionally, Thielen also played for the Carolina Panthers and the Pittsburgh Steelers towards the end of his career. If a starting role opens up, the 35-year-old could certainly reverse his retirement decision, as he believes he still has a lot left in the tank.

Besides retirement, Thielen went into detail about his stint at the Carolina Panthers, where he played alongside quarterback Bryce Young.

Thielen praises Carolina Panthers QB Bryce Young’s growth

After leaving the Vikings following a decade-long tenure, Adam Thielen landed a new deal with the Carolina Panthers, where he spent the 2023 and 2024 seasons, starting all 27 games he featured in. In Carolina, Thielen found his quarterback in rookie Bryce Young, a 2023 first-round pick (1st overall). In the same podcast, he also sang high praises for the 24-year-old.

“He had to kind of be outside of his comfort zone to really benefit the team,” Thielen said. “That’s someone who cares and wants to do whatever it takes to help the team win.”

With Young as his signal caller, the WR had a productive first year at the Panthers, racking up over 1,000 receiving yards, and the following year, he managed 615 yards from 10 games, which was still a decent number.

While speaking about the young quarterback, Adam Thielen praised his maturity and professionalism, which showed in the 2025 campaign. Bryce recorded an impressive 3,011 passing yards, 23 passing touchdowns, and helped the Panthers reach the playoffs for the first time since 2017.