Carolina Panthers wide receiver Adam Thielen caused a bit of a stir during locker room cleanout last month when he said retirement was an option.
The 34-year-old put that to rest Thursday in New Orleans when he told the team website he was returning for a 12th season.
But Thielen made it clear he seriously contemplated retirement, making sure all of his family was in Atlanta for Carolina's regular-season finale just in case that was his final game.
"Because I kind of told them at that point this could be it,'' Thielen told Panthers.com. "I was pretty exhausted ... to the point where I'm in the middle of the road, like a big part of me wants to keep playing and giving everything I've got.
"And a big part of me is like I'm ready to move on and spend more time with my family and move on to the second career. But again, once I make that mindset of like, 'All right, I'm doing this,' it's all in.''
Thielen is heading into the last year of a three-year, $25 million contract he signed with Carolina in 2023 after spending his entire NFL career with his home-state Minnesota Vikings.
He's scheduled to count $8,005,235 against the 2025 salary cap.
Thielen caught 48 passes for 615 yards and five touchdowns this season despite missing seven games with a hamstring injury. He had a team-best 103 catches for 1,014 yards in 2023.
He has 685 career receptions for 8,311 yards and 64 touchdowns. He's fifth all time among undrafted players in league history in catches and yards, and fourth in touchdowns.
But as Thielen said immediately after the season, he still believes he can contribute.
"I'm a competitor,'' he said. "I want that ball. I feel I can still play at a high level and want to help this team win.''
