Adam Thielen: I Wanted to End Career With Vikings; MIN Had 'Different Vision For Me'

Wide receiver Adam Thielen is now a Carolina Panther after his 10-year tenure with the Minnesota Vikings came to an end this offseason following a March release.

In a conversation with the Daily Delivery podcast Thursday (h/t Bobby Kownack of NFL.com), Thielen made clear that he didn't want to leave his home state but that he respected Vikings leaders for handling the situation in a first-class manner:

"I think there are like two sides of it. ... It was a bummer. I didn't want to leave Minnesota. I wanted to end my career there. Obviously, that would be the perfect fairy tale way to do it, right? But that's not reality. I'm so thankful for that organization, (general manager) Kwesi (Adofo-Mensah) and (Kevin O'Connell) and the staff. The way they handled this throughout the process was first-class."

Thielen was born and raised in Detroit Lakes, Minnesota, and played collegiately at Minnesota State. He stayed in town to join the Vikings as an undrafted free agent and enjoyed an excellent decade that included two Pro Bowls and a pair of 1,000-yard seasons. He also jointly holds the record for the most consecutive games with 100 receiving yards (eight) alongside former Detroit Lions receiver Calvin Johnson.

However, Thielen was released in what amounted to a salary cap move for the team, as the Vikings saved $6.4 million in additional space. He hasn't been as productive of late, but Thielen still excelled with 70 catches, 716 yards and six scores last season.

"You know, it's really hard to explain the entire situation," Thielen said. "I don't think there was ever a point where I was unhappy with what I was doing. It was just pretty clear that they had a different vision for me than maybe I had for a way that I could help the team win games. There wasn't a wrong thing. There wasn't disrespect on either side. I think it was just time for both sides to move on."

Thielen left the Vikings third in team history with 534 receptions and 55 receiving touchdowns and fourth with 6,682 receiving yards.

However, it's time for a new chapter in his career. He's now a Panther after signing a three-year, $25 million contract.