Adam Thielen isn’t ready to hang up his cleats. He told a reporter in Orlando that he’s hoping to come back and play in 2025.
“Yeah, I think I still have some more football in me,” said Thielen, as quoted by Ben Nagle of Daily Mail Sport. “We’ll see how that plays out in the next few weeks.”
Thielen will be 35 in August, but he was productive late last year. After returning from IR, he caught 17 passes for 201 yards and a touchdown in back-to-back games against the Bucs and Eagles, then closed the season with 5 catches in four straight games, including 3 TDs. Historically, he’s been good in the red zone.
Staying healthy could be an issue. He missed seven games last year with a hamstring injury, and he missed 11 games in the 2019-21 seasons.
If the Panthers want him, Thielen presumably would be more of a contributor rather than a featured part of the offense.
There haven’t been many successful 35-year-old receivers. In the 32-team era, only 17 wide receivers who were at least 35 have finished with top-30 numbers, with another eight ranking in the top 50. That’s using PPR scoring.
35-YEAR-OLD RECEIVERS WITH TOP-50 NUMBERS | |||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Year | Player | Age | Rec | Yds | TD | PPR | Rk |
2002 | Jerry Rice, Oak. | 40 | 92 | 1,211 | 7 | 257.1 | 10 |
2008 | Terrell Owens, Dall. | 35 | 69 | 1,052 | 10 | 237.5 | 11 |
2005 | Rod Smith, Den. | 35 | 85 | 1,105 | 6 | 232.2 | 13 |
2009 | Derrick Mason, Balt. | 35 | 73 | 1,028 | 7 | 218.0 | 17 |
2005 | Keenan McCardell, S.D. | 35 | 70 | 917 | 9 | 216.3 | 17 |
2010 | Terrell Owens, Cin. | 37 | 72 | 983 | 9 | 224.3 | 17 |
2014 | Steve Smith, Balt. | 35 | 79 | 1,065 | 6 | 221.5 | 18 |
2004 | Jimmy Smith, Jac. | 35 | 74 | 1,172 | 6 | 227.2 | 19 |
2006 | Joey Galloway, T.B. | 35 | 62 | 1,057 | 7 | 210.6 | 21 |
2005 | Jimmy Smith, Jac. | 36 | 70 | 1,023 | 6 | 208.3 | 21 |
2018 | Larry Fitzgerald, Ari. | 35 | 69 | 734 | 6 | 186.0 | 26 |
2007 | Joey Galloway, T.B. | 36 | 57 | 1,014 | 6 | 194.5 | 26 |
2009 | Terrell Owens, Buff. | 36 | 55 | 829 | 5 | 179.3 | 27 |
2008 | Muhsin Muhammad, Car. | 35 | 65 | 923 | 5 | 187.3 | 28 |
2010 | Derrick Mason, Balt. | 36 | 61 | 802 | 7 | 183.2 | 28 |
2002 | Tim Brown, Oak. | 36 | 81 | 930 | 2 | 187.9 | 28 |
2003 | Jerry Rice, Oak. | 41 | 63 | 869 | 2 | 161.9 | 30 |
2008 | Isaac Bruce, S.F. | 36 | 61 | 835 | 7 | 186.2 | 31 |
2019 | Larry Fitzgerald, Ari. | 36 | 75 | 804 | 4 | 179.4 | 35 |
2008 | Marvin Harrison, Ind. | 36 | 60 | 636 | 5 | 153.6 | 36 |
2016 | Steve Smith, Balt. | 37 | 70 | 799 | 5 | 183.9 | 37 |
2015 | Anquan Boldin, S.F. | 35 | 69 | 789 | 4 | 171.9 | 40 |
2007 | Isaac Bruce, St.L. | 35 | 55 | 733 | 4 | 151.9 | 42 |
2016 | Anquan Boldin, Det. | 36 | 67 | 584 | 8 | 173.4 | 42 |
2014 | Reggie Wayne, Ind. | 36 | 64 | 779 | 2 | 153.9 | 50 |
—Ian Allan