After 13 seasons in the NFL, Adam Thielen is calling it a career. The veteran wide receiver officially announced his retirement on Wednesday, closing the book on a journey that began as an undrafted free agent and ended with over 700 career receptions and a reputation as one of the league’s most reliable targets.
Thielen’s final stop came in Pittsburgh, where he was claimed off waivers by the Steelers on December 2. He played in five games during the 2025 season, starting three of them and recording 11 catches for 117 yards. While his time in black and gold was brief, his impact across the league over more than a decade is undeniable.
Thielen walks away from the game with 704 receptions, 8,497 receiving yards, and 64 touchdowns - numbers that speak to both consistency and excellence. His rise from Minnesota State to NFL standout is the kind of story that resonates. No combine invite, no draft-day call - just a relentless work ethic and a knack for making plays.
He spent the bulk of his career with the Minnesota Vikings, where he became a fan favorite and a key piece of their offense for 10 seasons. Thielen then spent two years with the Carolina Panthers before landing in Pittsburgh for what would be his final NFL stretch.
For the Steelers, Thielen’s retirement is just one piece of a much bigger puzzle they’ll need to solve this offseason. The wide receiver room is in flux, and the front office has some tough calls ahead.
Thielen and Marquez Valdes-Scantling were late-season additions, brought in to try and inject life into a struggling passing attack. But the spark never really caught fire, and now Pittsburgh is left reevaluating the position from top to bottom.
As for Thielen, he leaves behind a legacy built on perseverance, precision route-running, and a career that far exceeded expectations. From undrafted longshot to Pro Bowl mainstay, his journey is a reminder that sometimes the best stories in football are the ones no one saw coming.