One of the biggest reasons veteran wide receiver Adam Thielen signed a multi-year deal with the Carolina Panthers last offseason is because he wanted to be a part of building something special. He spent his entire career with the Minnesota Vikings and instead of going to a Super Bowl contender, he chose to be a part of a process.
Unfortunately, that process has suffered some major hits. Head coach Frank Reich is no longer in the building and the future of GM Scott Fitterer remains uncertain. The Panthers' offense has been hard to watch all season long and it hasn't shown any signs of breaking through anytime soon.
During media availability on Monday, Thielen expressed how difficult this season has been for him.
"It's tough. I'm not going to lie to you, I'm not going to sugarcoat anything. It's tough. Plans have changed...When I signed here, I envisioned this to be a lot different but that's just part of life. Most of the time the way you want things to go usually doesn't happen. So you just kind of keep working, controlling what you can control, and then obviously, you assess things when you can and you have time to and you make the best decision for the team and for yourself and you move forward."
What does this mean exactly? Does Thielen want out of Carolina? Is he hinting at the idea of retirement? Maybe he feels that with a new coaching staff, he will be moved. Or it could just be pure frustration and the timeline of winning has been altered from what he previously thought. It could also be a combination of two of those things.
At age 33, Thielen has more road behind him in this game than he does in front of him. That said, he's proven that he still has plenty of gas left in the tank as he is on pace for a 100-catch, 1,000-yard season - something he's only achieved once in his career. With two years of control, you would assume there will be teams that express interest in trading for him in the offseason. If you're Carolina, you listen.
The reality is, Thielen isn't a long-term solution at the position. He's more of a Band-Aid. Regardless if Fitterer remains in the GM seat in 2024 or not, the Panthers have no choice but to revamp its receiving corps. He more than likely understands that as someone who has been in this league long enough to know that changes are coming once this team reaches the offseason, hence the "plans have changed" comment.
Whether that's in regard to his future or the team's timeline of winning is subjective.
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