ESPN insider shares scoop on Panthers plans with Adam Thielen

Veteran wide receiver Adam Thielen made headlines this week when he told the Daily Mail that he feels like he has more football left in him and wants to be part of the Carolina Panthers’ growth along with Bryce Young. Thielen apparently seriously considered retirement but ultimately decided that he wants to stick around.

That’s great news for the Panthers, whose wide receiver corps would otherwise consistent of a whole lot of question marks. Thielen is entering the final year of his contract, though – which means the team will have to mae a decision on his future some time in the coming months.

There’s news on this front to report. According to Jeremy Fowler at ESPN, the team has no plans to release Thielen and might work out an extension.

ESPN on Adam Thelen-Panthers

“The Panthers want veteran receiver Adam Thielen back in 2025. He’s due more than $6 million in overall payout in the last year of his contract. Carolina and Thielen could always renegotiate to find a sweet spot on a new one-year deal or an extension. But my sense is the team does not plan to release Thielen, who does want to be on a winning team.”

CHARLOTTE, NORTH CAROLINA – DECEMBER 15: Adam Thielen #19 of the Carolina Panthers smiles before playing the Dallas Cowboys at Bank of America Stadium on December 15, 2024 in Charlotte, North Carolina. / (Photo by Grant Halverson/Getty Images)

Down the stretch of the regular season Thielen was arguably Carolina’s best playmaker – and his hookups with Bryce Young on deep downfield passes were the best thing the Panthers had going for them. That means it would be ludicrous to consider cutting him, even if he is 34 years old.

As far as his contract goes, Thielen’s cap number is just over $8 million this year, which makes him a pretty grand bargain consdiering what they’re getting out of him.

There’s not a ton of cap savings to be found on an extension, but there is some juice to squeeze, at least. According to Over the Cap the team can save about $3.6 million on an extension and a little under $3 million on a restructured deal.

An extension probably makes the most sense, as it’s going to take more than one offseason to build up that wide receiver room enough to be able to handle Thielen’s inevitable retirement.