Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated mentioned this earlier in the week and doubled down on his comments on Thursday.
Is there really anything for the New England Patriots to call the Carolina Panthers and orchestrate a wide receiver trade in which they acquire Adam Thielen?
Breer certainly sees the Patriots landing Thielen before the next NFL trade deadline on Nov. 5 in exchange for someone like failed draft pick Tyquan Thornton, who New England reportedly shopped, as a positive move.
“That’s the kind of thing that might make sense,” Breer said. on 98.5 “Zolak and Bertrand” from Hub Sports on Thursday. “If you say, ‘OK, our reception hall is in a really weird place. We want to bring someone here who can be sort of a stabilizing force, so we don’t lose the young people. So Ja’Lynn Polk has an influence in that. Thielen wouldn’t be the worst guy to go after.
But it’s fair to wonder how much exactly Thielen, 34, has left as he now enters his 11th season in the NFL. Sure, he had a bounce-back season in 2023 when he totaled 103 receptions for 1,014 yards and four touchdowns, but hasn’t done much this season due to a hamstring injury that ‘placed on injured reserve.
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That said, the Vikings, with whom Thielen spent the first nine seasons of his career, decided that expansion wasn’t worth taking a big cap hit and cut him after the 2022 season.
Now it feels like Thielen is in NFL purgatory with the Panthers and the Patriots could get him out of there. But making a transaction just for the sake of it is not a good practice.
Thielen, as Breer suggested, could bring a leadership presence to a group of young Patriots receivers and also introduce them to the position. But the Patriots already seem to have that in Kendrick Bourne and Hunter Henry. But perhaps Thielen will be able to understand Polk, Javon Baker and DeMario Douglas better than New England’s veterans this season.
But while strengthening the locker room leadership group would be great, what the Patriots really need is a playmaker in Drake Maye. Thielen isn’t exactly that at this point in his career.
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The Patriots had the smart idea to try to land a big fish, whether through free agency (Calvin Ridley) or via trade (Brandon Aiyuk). They came up empty both times.
But going out and catching Thielen would be like going out and catching a minnow. That’s just not what the Patriots need right now.
