Minnesota Vikings wide receiver Adam Thielen took a $2 million pay cut to help finalize the trade that sent him from the Carolina Panthers back to his hometown team, sources confirmed to ESPN on Saturday.
As a result, Thielen will earn roughly $5 million this season.
The Vikings and Panthers spent more than a week discussing the deal. Some of the delay was related to draft pick compensation. Ultimately, the Vikings agreed to a complicated package that sent a fifth-round pick in 2026 and a fourth-round pick in 2027 to the Panthers in exchange for Thielen, a conditional seventh-round pick in 2026 and a fifth-round pick in 2027.
