The NFC North is never an easy division. All four teams have rosters filled with promising talent, especially young talent at wide receiver.
While the Detroit Lions might have the most explosive offense in the division, and the Green Bay Packers have the most exciting young receiving corps, it’s the Minnesota Vikings who lead the way out wide. Packers fans may not like admitting it, but Justin Jefferson is one of the best two receivers in the NFL, and most don’t see him as No. 2.
But, as it stands currently, Jefferson doesn’t have a running mate to start the season as the Vikings break in de facto rookie quarterback JJ McCarthy. Jordan Addison is suspended for the first three games, Jefferson is returning from a hamstring injury, and Jalen Nailor isn’t 100 percent healthy. As such, Minnesota is reportedly shopping for a veteran receiver, which may lead to a reunion that will dig up some buried nightmares in the minds of Packers fans.
Adam Thielen could return to Vikings, reigniting Packers nightmares
According to ESPN NFL insider Adam Schefter, the Vikings have called the Carolina Panthers to reunite with former Packers headache Adam Thielen in a potential trade. Thielen is entering his third season with the Panthers after spending the first nine years of his career in Minnesota, where he logged two 1,000-yard seasons.
The news comes on Thielen’s 35th birthday. Naturally, Thielen isn’t quite the same player he used to be coming off his worst season since 2019, catching just 48 passes for 615 yards and five scores in 10 games last year in Carolina. Still, his first season with the Panthers was a surprising success as he caught 103 passes for 1,014 yards and four scores.
Old Man Thielen or not, the former undrafted wideout from Minnesota State was a game wrecker against Green Bay for the better part of a decade. In his career, Thielen has played 18 games against the Packers and caught 84 passes for 1,132 yards and seven touchdowns.
That stat line is bolstered by two 12-catch games, the first in 2016 where he had 202 yards and two scores, and the next two years later with 131 yards and a touchdown. Only one of those 18 games happened while Thielen was in Carolina, and he still torched the Packers with eight catches for 94 yards in 2023.
READ MORE: This last-minute WR trade package is impossible for Packers to refuse
Considering the concerns at cornerback the Packers carry into the 2025 season, there’s certainly no hope east of Minneapolis for Thielen to return to the lineup. The savvy vet could still prove problematic in the slot, especially with Jefferson and Addison drawing attention on the outside.
Of course, if Minnesota does reunite with Thielen, the Packers won’t have to worry about him until the end of the season. The Packers host the Vikings in Week 12 and close the regular season in Minnesota.