Dec 8, 2024; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Carolina Panthers wide receiver Adam Thielen (19) makes a catch against Philadelphia Eagles cornerback Cooper DeJean (33) during the first quarter at Lincoln Financial Field. Eric Hartline-Imagn Images

Stunning trade proposal sends Panthers' best receiver to WR-rich Eagles

Originally posted on Carolina Panthers on SI
By Tim Weaver | Last updated Apr 19, 2025 1:31 PM ET

In addition to some creative speculation regarding how the NFL draft will play out, this time of year is known for raising some truly wild trade proposals. Here's one that's probably not going to go over well with the Carolina Panthers' faithful.

According to Kristopher Knox at Bleacher Report, one wide receiver who could be on the trade block is the Carolina's number one guy, Adam Thielen - who just earned a $1.5 million raise for the 2025 season. As far as trade partners go, Knox mentions the famously wide receiver-deficient New England Patriots, as well as the wide receiver-rich Philadelphia Eagles.

"The Philadelphia Eagles could fall into the first category. Though Philly traded for Jahan Dotson last offseason, they're still searching for a reliable third receiver behind A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith. New Eagles passing game coordinator Parks Frazier also coached Thielen as Carolina's passing game coordinator in 2023."

So, why would the Panthers consider trading their WR1 in the first place? Knox says if the Panthers land someone like Texas WR Matthew Golden or Arizona's Tet McMillan and Xavier Legette gets a more prominent role, Thielen's role could shrink - and at 35 years old he might rather play for a contender.

Where to begin? Banking on Legette to take a big leap forward is a risky proposition. Legette has plenty of athleticism, but is pretty atrocious at the catch point and needs to completely rebuild his plan for how to attack the ball. For another, all signs point to the Panthers going edge with their first pick rather than a top wide receiver like Golden or McMillan.

Furthermore, all of this ignores the fact that Thielen actually wants to play for the Panthers. When he decided not to retire, Thielen cited the chance to build something special in Carolina as Bryce Young takes the next step forward in his game.

Precious few players actually want to be in Carolina these days, and the Panthers can't afford to trade any of them - especially when one is by far their most-capable pass-catching weapon.

This article first appeared on Carolina Panthers on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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