Why Did MN Vikings Release Homecoming Cinderella, Adam Thielen?

The Minnesota Vikings lost their fourth-straight game on Sunday afternoon, this time out west against the Seattle Seahawks, pushing their 2025 regular season record down to 4-8.

Now out of playoff contention, this is an organization that has all sorts of difficult questions that need answered over the next few months. A failure of such epic proportions requires a deeper dive into what exactly went so wrong, as to make sure it doesn’t happen again.

As the Vikings attempt to lift themselves off the mat for 2026, and somehow regain their balance from the knockout haymaker that was the 2025 NFL season, it is crucial those at the very top weed out any rotten aspects of Minnesota’s internal process.

That includes players, coaches, scouts, ball boys or even the GM, Kwesi Adofo-Mensah, if that’s what their investigation into the 2025 failure concludes.

Adam Thielen released by Minnesota Vikings

But one person who won’t be around for the aforementioned offseason process is the beloved Adam Thielen, who the MN Vikings waived on Monday, just before noon. Adam’s release, according to a statement put out by Kwesi, was a move that the Mankato State alum requested.

Of all the statements (both written and verbal) that the Vikings general manager has ever made, this was by far the most blunt and forthcoming. Per the GM, Thielen’s plan is to join a team where he will play a bigger role on offense for the remainder of the season, before he plans to retire.

Obviously, Adofo-Mensah wanted to make it VERY clear to the fanbase that releasing their local hero was not a team-driven decision. Adam Thielen wanted out.

The #Vikings have waived WR Adam Thielen. pic.twitter.com/ahAft1Wxv6

— Minnesota Vikings (@Vikings) December 1, 2025

STATEMENT FROM GENERAL MANAGER KWESI ADOFO-MENSAH

Last week Adam’s representation approached the team and asked if we would be willing to release Adam, expressing his desire to play a bigger role in the remaining weeks of what he has indicated will be his final NFL season. Following discussions through the weekend and out of respect for Adam, we have agreed to give him the opportunity to pursue more playing time elsewhere. Adam is one of the all-time great Vikings, and we wish him and his family continued success.

Statement from Kwesi Adofo-Mensah on release of Adam Thielen (Tweet Above)

In the end, the kid out of Detroit Lakes, MN — who dominated division II for Mankato State before living out every suburban MN kid’s dream to star for the Vikings — caught just 8 passes for 69 yards and 0 touchdowns, in his return home.

Adam Thielen trade was a massive mistake for MN Vikings

The worst part of Adam’s departure isn’t losing the presence of a hometown hero. Let’s call a spade, a spade, in that department. Thielen is shell of what he once was, as an NFL wide receiver, which is why he’s leaving.

But go back just a few months, to the time of the trade between Minnesota and Carolina, that landed the homegrown talent back in purple. It’s unfathomable that the Vikings dished out a TWO future mid-round draft upgrades to land a wide receiver who couldn’t even find the field, after week three.

Terms of the trade now final …

The Panthers turned their seventh-rounder this year into a fifth-rounder, and their fifth-rounder in 2027 into a fourth-rounder in the trade (All picks are the teams' slotted picks).

Thielen had 8 catches for 69 yards this year for the Vikings. https://t.co/FbKgHn3s42

— Albert Breer (@AlbertBreer) December 1, 2025

Related: Vikings Tried Paying Sam Darnold

Now that Thielen is about to become available, the Carolina Panthers may one of the teams that shows interest in the 35-year-old 2x Pro Bowler, according to their head coach Dave Canales. We’ll see if any other teams pop up.

Everybody (except the Panthers) looks bad in this deal

This isn’t the best look for Adam Thielen, who came here saying there is no place he’d rather be and how this was the final stop of his career. At the same time, he probably didn’t expect to only have 18 targets through 13 weeks of the season.

That’s probably on him, however, as one peek at the 2025 depth chart back during training camp would have told Mr. Thielen and his representation that playing time back home could be hard to come by, after Jordan Addison’s three-week suspension.

Common sense would have said that — between Jefferson, Addison, Nailor, Hockenson, a more robust running came and a young, unproven quarterback under center, that the odds of making a major impact for the Vikings were probably slim.

Of course, the Minnesota Vikings were laza fare regarding a lot of those questions, entering the season, a cockiness we probably won’t see between now and the start of 2026.