Sports activities Illustrated’s Albert Breer talked about it earlier within the week and doubled down on his feedback Thursday.
Is there actually one thing to the New England Patriots calling up the Carolina Panthers and orchestrating a large receiver swap wherein they purchase Adam Thielen?
Breer actually sees the Patriots touchdown Thielen earlier than the upcoming Nov. 5 NFL commerce deadline in alternate for somebody like failed draft decide Tyquan Thornton, who New England reportedly is buying, as a optimistic transfer.
“That’s the kind of factor that might make some sense,” Breer stated on 98.5 The Sports activities Hub’s “Zolak and Bertrand” on Thursday. “In case you’re saying, ‘OK, our receiver room is in a extremely bizarre spot. We need to carry any person in right here who will be sort of a stabilizing drive, so we don’t lose the younger guys. So Ja’Lynn Polk does have an affect in there.’ Thielen wouldn’t be the worst man to go and get.”
Nevertheless it’s honest to marvel how a lot precisely the 34-year-old Thielen has left within the tank as he’s now in his eleventh NFL season. Certain, he had a bounce-back season in 2023 when he totaled 103 receptions for 1,014 yards and 4 touchdowns, however hasn’t executed a lot this season as a consequence of a hamstring damage touchdown him on injured reserve.
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It says one thing that the Vikings, with whom Thielen spent the primary 9 seasons of his profession, determined the wideout wasn’t price taking a giant cap hit for and minimize him following the 2022 season.
Now it looks like Thielen is in NFL purgatory with the Panthers and the Patriots might get him out of there. However pulling off a commerce only for the sake of doing one isn’t good apply.
Thielen, as Breer advised, might carry a management presence to a younger Patriots receiver group and in addition dispense information of the place to them, too. However the Patriots appear to have already got that in Kendrick Bourne and Hunter Henry. However perhaps Thielen can get via to Polk, Javon Baker and DeMario Douglas higher than New England’s veterans have this season.
However whereas strengthening the locker room’s management group can be nice, what the Patriots actually need is a playmaker for Drake Maye. Thielen’s not precisely that at this level in his profession.
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The Patriots had the proper concept of making an attempt to land a giant fish whether or not it was via free company (Calvin Ridley) or by way of a commerce (Brandon Aiyuk). They got here up empty each instances.
However going out and getting Thielen can be like going out and catching a minnow. It’s simply not what the Patriots want presently.
