About a year ago, former Minnesota Vikings pass-catcher Adam Thielen looked like the odd man out as the Carolina Panthers turned their wide receiver depth chart younger. With that in mind, Thielen wanted to come back to his hometown team for what was in line to be his final NFL season, and Panthers general manager Dan Morgan obliged.
Of course, Thielen's second stint as a Viking did not go well at all. After tallying just eight catches in 11 games and being a healthy scratch in Week 13, he asked for and was granted his release.
Thielen signed with the Pittsburgh Steelers to finish last season, catching 11 passes in five games with his buddy Aaron Rodgers. It wasn't the career finale he had wanted just a few months earlier, but he also wanted a bigger role than the Vikings would give him, and that desire won out in the end.
Thielen doesn't come off as someone who would struggle to find a purpose after his playing career. For some guys, working as a television analyst becomes a way to "stay involved in the game," whether they really have the chops for it or not.
And frankly, with some trial runs on NFL Network, Thielen didn't seem like a great fit for broadcasting as a post-playing career job. That said, like anything else, improvement with more reps is absolutely possible.
Is former Minnesota Vikings WR Adam Thielen an ESPN NFL analyst now?
A new season refreshes things for NFL media outlets in every form. People change jobs, people lose jobs, and new people are hired.
On Monday's episode of ESPN's "NFL Live", Thielen appeared as an analyst. A clip shared on X by the NFL on ESPN account showed him talking about a topic he can bring some expertise to: the impact the addition of a star receiver can have on an offense.
"When [A.J. Brown is] on the field there's attention. ... So now it opens it up, it opens up for Drake Maye. He can see other guys."
— NFL on ESPN (@ESPNNFL) July 27, 2026
—@athielen19 on what the addition of A.J. Brown means for the Patriots 🏈 pic.twitter.com/XA5rR9GIQt
Monday's appearance may have just been a one-off for Thielen, since he was not acknowledged as an "ESPN NFL analyst" when his playing career credentials were put on-screen. Multiple former players may get a chance to fill the seat created by Ryan Clark being laid off before someone is hired permanently.
Maybe Thielen simply took an opportunity that was offered to him for a trip to Bristol to be on "NFL Live" for a day or two, and there won't be much (if anything) more to it as he considers what he wants to do in retirement.
Or maybe ESPN (and/or NFL Network, by merger connection) will eventually hire Thielen as a full-time analyst. Time will tell, but Monday's apparently unannounced appearance landed as a shocker.
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