Overview

• ESPN’s Adam Schefter reports Minnesota and Carolina are struggling to agree on trade compensation for the veteran wideout.
• Dialogue between the teams is ongoing, and Adam Thielen is described as excited about a possible return to Minnesota, per the Star Tribune’s Ben Goessling as cited by Newsweek.
• Thielen’s $6.25 million base salary and a previously paid $1.5 million roster bonus complicate any deal because the base becomes guaranteed if he is on the roster in Week 1, with reports noting Carolina could realize significant cap savings if he departs before then.
• ESPN analyst Bill Barnwell has predicted a deal built around late-round picks—a 2026 sixth and a 2027 seventh—contingent on the Panthers absorbing $1.5 million and Thielen accepting a $1 million pay cut, a framework presented as analysis rather than a finalized agreement.
• The Vikings’ urgency stems from injuries at receiver and Jordan Addison’s three-game suspension, with Barnwell also noting that the recent Harrison Phillips trade could help Minnesota fit Thielen’s remaining salary.