One of the few weaknesses on the Philadelphia Eagles roster in 2024 was at a position most NFL teams don’t pay much attention to — the third wide receiver spot.
Philadelphia tried to solidify the spot with a preseason trade with the Washington Commanders that brought them former first round pick Jahan Dotson and watched him stumble his way through the regular season with career lows of 19 receptions for 235 yards and no touchdowns.
While Dotson did get himself a slight bit of redemption during the Eagles’ postseason run and in a win over the Kansas City Chiefs in Super Bowl LIX, he is far, far removed from being a reliable contributor — something Bleacher Report’s Kristopher Knox thinks Philadelphia could emedy by swapping a fifth round draft pick for Carolina Panthers wide receiver Adam Thielen.
“Thielen, who will turn 35 in August, would be a logical target for two types of teams: those ready to contend now, and those looking to pair a young quarterback with a savvy veteran,” Knox wrote on April 19. “The Philadelphia Eagles could fall into the first category. Though Philly traded for Jahan Dotson last offseason, they’re still searching for a reliable third receiver behind A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith. New Eagles passing game coordinator Parks Frazier also coached Thielen as Carolina’s passing game coordinator in 2023.”
Thielen Still Putting Up Numbers Into Mid-30s
Thielen has remained a productive wide receiver into his mid-30s while playing on some truly terrible teams in Carolina the last 2 seasons — a stretch in which he has 151 receptions for 1,629 yards and 9 touchdowns in 27 games. That includes a 1,000-yard receiving season in 2023.
Thielen had 48 receptions for 615 yards and 5 touchdowns in 2024 despite missing 7 games with a hamstring injury.
From ESPN on December 7: “… Thielen has emerged from a hamstring injury as (the Panthers) most reliable target. He recorded 156 receiving yards over the past two weeks, including 99 in an overtime loss to the Buccaneers.”
As long as Thielen is even somewhat healthy, he’s worth a fifth round pick. The Eagles have stockpiled 20 draft picks over the next 2 seasons and could be looking to deal some of those to obtain proven veterans.
Thielen has one season left on the 3-year, $25 million contract he signed with the Panthers in March 2023 and is due $8.75 million in 2025, which will bring his career earnings to a whopping $91.9 million.
From NCAA Division II to Setting NFL Receiving Records
Thielen’s rise to one of the NFL’s best wide receivers is a remarkable story.
The Detroit Lakes, Minnesota, native starred at NCAA Division II Minnesota State before going undrafted in 2013. He spent all of that year on the Minnesota Vikings practice squad before making the team’s 53-man roster in 2014 and starred on special teams for 2 seasons.
In 2016, Thielen led the Vikings with 967 receiving yards then earned NFL All-Pro honors in 2017 with 1,276 receiving yards and 4 touchdowns and made back-to-back Pro Bowls in 2017 and 2018. He also set the NFL record with 8 consecutive games of over 100 receiving yards.
Thielen cashed out with a 4-year, $64 million contract extension with the Vikings in April 2019 but never cracked 1,000 receiving yards in his final 4 seasons in Minnesota, although he did have a career high 14 touchdowns in 2020.
