NFL Insider Sends Veteran Wideout On to New England; Should Patriots Prosecute?

Sports Illustrated's Albert Breer mentioned it earlier in the week and doubled down on his comments on Thursday.

Does it really have anything to do with the New England Patriots calling the Carolina Panthers and orchestrating a wide receiver trade in which they acquire Adam Thielen?

Breer certainly sees the Patriots' signing of Thielen before the upcoming NFL trade deadline on November 5th in return for someone like failed draft pick Tyquan Thornton, who New England is reportedly acquiring, as a positive move.

“Something like that could make sense,” Breer said Thursday on 98.5 The Sports Hub’s “Zolak and Bertrand.” “If you say, ‘Okay, our reception room is in a really weird place. We want to bring someone here who can be a kind of stabilizing force so that we don't lose the young people. “So yes, Lynn Polk actually has an influence there.” Thielen wouldn’t be the worst person you could take.”

But it's fair to wonder exactly how much the 34-year-old Thielen has left in the tank, now that he's in his 11th NFL season. Sure, he had a rebound in 2023 when he totaled 103 receptions for 1,014 yards and four touchdowns, but he didn't do much this season due to a hamstring injury that landed him on injured reserve.

It says something that the Vikings, where Thielen spent the first nine seasons of his career, decided the wideout 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 trade just for the sake of trading is not good practice.

Thielen, as Breer suggested, could provide a leadership presence to a young Patriots receiving group and also provide them with knowledge of the position. But the Patriots appear to already have that in Kendrick Bourne and Hunter Henry. But perhaps Thielen can get through to Polk, Javon Baker and DeMario Douglas better than New England's veterans this season.

But while it would be great to strengthen the locker room's leadership group, the Patriots really need a playmaker for Drake Maye. Thielen isn't quite like that at this point in his career.

The Patriots had the right idea to land a big fish, whether through free agency (Calvin Ridley) or a trade (Brandon Aiyuk). Both times they were empty.

But going out and getting Thielen would be like going out and catching a minnow. It's just not what the Patriots need right now.