Adam Thielen was filled with optimism when he signed with the Carolina Panthers last offseason, and a quote he gave when he first joined the team has now reemerged, albeit for all the wrong reasons.
Thielen signed a 3-year, $25 million deal with the Panthers back in March. He discussed his free agency decision during an appearance on “The Pat McAfee Show,” saying one of the biggest factors was that he believes he will have “a real chance to win a Super Bowl” in Carolina.
You can hear the full context of the comments below:
“Honestly, I wasn’t really planning on going to the Panthers. I went on a visit there just to hear them out, because I wanted to go somewhere where I felt like I had an opportunity to win a Super Bowl,” Thielen said. “When I went there, I sat down with the coach, I sat down with the GM, I sat down with all of the coaching staff, and I felt like Carolina was the place to do that. I feel like there is a real chance to win a Super Bowl, and that gets me so excited.”
Thielen didn’t specify a timeline for winning that championship, but it sounds like he did not anticipate playing for the worst team in the NFL in 2023. The Panthers further cemented themselves in that spot with their 16-13 loss to the Chicago Bears on Thursday night.
Carolina’s lone touchdown against the Bears came via a punt return. Thielen told reporters after the game that the Panthers gave an “embarrassing effort” on offense.
Panthers head coach Frank Reich faced questions about one late-game call, but the team has been on the wrong side of situations like that all year. That is why they are 1-8.
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