Former Vikings WR Adam Thielen gave Panthers fans a scare on Friday

Midway through the first quarter of Friday's preseason matchup between the Carolina Panthers and Detroit Lions, former Minnesota Vikings wide receiver Adam Thielen left the contest after a defender delivered a late hit to his upper body.

Luckily for the Panthers, Thielen was eventually able to return to the field. So any injury the former Vikings receiver sustained on the play wasn't serious enough to keep him out of action for very long.

Thielen made sure to let the Lions' sideline know he was unhappy with the hit though as he was seen arguing with a member of Detroit's roster as he was being helped off of the field.

In less than a month, Thielen will make his regular-season debut for Carolina when they head out on the road to face the Atlanta Falcons inside Mercedes-Benz Stadium. That matchup against the Falcons will be Thielen's first appearance in an NFL game without a purple and gold Vikings jersey on.

Minnesota made the tough decision to move on from their longtime wide receiver back in March. Shortly after departing with the Vikings, Thielen wound up landing a three-year contract worth $25 million with the Panthers.

At 33-years-old, his time to make an impact for an NFL team is nearing the end. But Thielen will certainly be looking to prove all of his doubters wrong this season when he suits up for Carolina.

He'll get a chance to beat his former team when the Panthers host the Vikings on Sunday, October 1st, for a Week 4 showdown. One can imagine that Thielen likely has that game circled on his calendar.