UPDATE (10:35 A.M. ET): The Minnesota Vikings have made Adam Thielen's release official.
ORIGINAL STORY: The Patriots must add receiver help this offseason, and one of the more accomplished wideouts in the game just hit the open market.
The Vikings plan to release Adam Thielen on Friday, according to multiple reports. Tom Pelissero of NFL media was the first to report the news and added there "will be a market" for Thielen's services.
Thielen, who will turn 33 in August, played a full 17-game schedule in 2022 while posting 70 catches for 716 yards and six touchdowns. He went undrafted in 2014 and went on to rack up 534 catches for 6,682 yards and 55 touchdowns over nine seasons with Minnesota, twice making the Pro Bowl.
New England entered this offseason with multiple questions at receiver.
Jakobi Meyers and Nelson Agholor both are free agents, and Kendrick Bourne, after a year in the doghouse, could be a salary cap casualty. DeVante Parker's durability concerns are well-documented, and 2022 second-round pick Tyquan Thornton remains unproven.
Regardless of whether the Patriots re-sign Meyers, they likely will need to add at least one receiver this offseason. Many believe they could target a wideout in the draft or trade for someone like DeAndre Hopkins, but there also are some decent options in the free agency pool, which now includes Thielen.
Though clearly not as good as he once was, Thielen remains a productive receiver who still has something left in the tank. He also would bring the kind of versatility and veteran presence that New England typically covets. Thielen caught nine passes for 61 yards and a touchdown in the Vikings' Thanksgiving victory over the Patriots.
That said, it's easy to envision a team overpaying for Thielen based on past production. His infamous 2018 shouting match with Bill Belichick also is worth mentioning, even though it likely would have no bearing on whether the Patriots pursue Thielen.
NFL free agency is scheduled to begin next Wednesday, but Thielen is free to sign with a team as soon as his release becomes official.
