(File Photo: Source for Photo: FILE = Minnesota Vikings wide receiver Adam Thielen warms up before an NFL football game against the Philadelphia Eagles, Oct. 19, 2025, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Ellen Schmidt, File)

Noah Haswell, Beaver County Radio News

(Pittsburgh, PA) Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver Adam Thielen recently announced on social media that he is retiring from the NFL. The thirty-five-year-old Thielen had indicated that this season would be his final season when he was waived by the Minnesota Vikings on December 1st, 2025 and he formally announced his retirement on Instagram yesterday. Thielen finished his NFL career with the Steelers and had 11 receptions for 117 yards in five games in three starts this season for the Steelers. Thielen was undrafted in 2013 after playing college football at Minnesota State University and in twelve seasons, he had 704 career catches for 8,497 yards and 64 touchdowns. Thielen was a star player on the Minnesota Vikings, where he played from 2013-2022, and in 2025 before the Steelers claimed him off of waivers on December 2nd, 2025, and his 542 receptions with the Vikings are 4th in Vikings history behind Pro-Football Hall of Fame wide receivers Cris Carter and Randy Moss, as well as a current Vikings star wide receiver Justin Jefferson. Thielen also played with the Carolina Panthers from 2023-2024 and he holds the NFL record for most consecutive 100-yard receiving games with eight.