NFL Rumors: Adam Thielen Expected to Visit Panthers After Vikings Release

The Carolina Panthers figure to select a quarterback with the No. 1 overall pick of the 2023 NFL draft, and there may be a veteran wide receiver waiting to catch passes from the rookie.

NFL Network's Ian Rapoport reported the NFC South team plans to host wide receiver Adam Thielen for a visit Wednesday. Thielen has been with the Minnesota Vikings for his entire NFL career, but the NFC North team released him this offseason.

To say the Panthers need wide receivers at this point would be an understatement.

After all, they traded No. 1 option D.J. Moore to the Chicago Bears as part of the package they gave up to land the first pick in next month's draft. That leaves players like Terrace Marshall Jr., Laviska Shenault Jr. and Shi Smith, which isn't exactly a loaded list of future Hall of Famers.

Having decent offensive weapons around whichever quarterback the Panthers take from Alabama's Bryce Young, Ohio State's C.J. Stroud, Florida's Anthony Richardson or Kentucky's Will Levis will be key, and Thielen can provide just that.

He is a two-time Pro Bowler with two seasons of more than 1,200 receiving yards and two seasons of double-digit touchdown catches on his resume. He can be a steady presence and safety valve for the rookie signal-caller as someone who can make plays on underneath routes and in the red zone.

Thielen may not be in his prime any longer at 32 years old, but he was still productive last season with 70 catches for 716 yards and six touchdowns.

He also posted 14 touchdown catches as recently as 2020.

There will surely be multiple teams interested in the former Vikings pass-catcher, but the Panthers will have the chance to make the first impression in free agency.