Adam Thielen has a new reason to regret leaving the Vikings
By Adam Patrick
For the first 10 years of his NFL career, Adam Thielen had the tremendous opportunity to suit up for the Minnesota Vikings, a team he grew up watching while he was raised in Detroit Lakes, Minnesota.
But after Thielen was unwilling to take a pay cut to remain with the Vikings last year, the team released their longtime wide receiver.
It didn't take long for Thielen to find a new place to play, as he eventually wound up signing a multi-year contract with the Carolina Panthers. Since then, however, there have been a number of instances in his time with the Panthers that have caused the former Minnesota wide receiver to probably wish he was still back home playing in purple and gold.
Former Minnesota Vikings WR Adam Thielen says the Carolina Panthers have the worst facilities in the NFL
During his tenure with the Vikings, Thielen was able to enjoy the benefits of U.S. Bank Stadium and the TCO Performance Center, two state-of-the-art facilities that are among the best in the entire NFL.
In Carolina, let's just say, things are a little different for Thielen when it comes to the team's stadium and practice facilities. In fact, the former Minnesota wide receiver recently said the following about how poor the Panthers' facilities currently are.
"I think [Carolina is] behind a little bit as far as facilities. We probably have the worst facilities in the NFL right now, and I don’t think there is anybody who would argue that."
These comments came about on Monday after the Panthers revealed that they are hoping to upgrade their stadium in the near future. In addition to his blunt statement about Carolina's current facilities, Thielen also expressed his excitement about the team's potential stadium upgrades.
"It’s nice to hear that, the commitment to us as players and the coaching staff, ‘Hey, you guys are putting the work in, and we’re going to commit and provide you guys with better facilities and really give you the resources to go out there and win.’ So it’s exciting."
Things in Carolina are much different than they are in Minnesota, and Thielen has definitely realized that during his short time with the Panthers.
He would probably never admit it, but it doesn't seem too crazy to think that the former Vikings wide receiver probably wishes he would've given a little more consideration to taking that pay cut back in 2023 to remain in the Twin Cities.