🧨 EXPLOSIVE RUMOR: 49ERS Eyeing Former 2‑Time Pro Bowl WR to Ignite Their Offense — Could This Be the Missing Piece That Transforms Their Season?

Why 49ers Should Sign Former 2-Time Pro Bowl WR

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Adam Thielen got released on Monday.

The San Francisco 49ers are in the thick of the NFC playoff race, and a former Pro Bowl wide receiver wants a new home soon.

Adam Thielen, who has appeared in two Pro Bowls and received second-team All-Pro honors before, was recently released by the Minnesota Vikings on Monday, which he requested. Thielen tallied 615 yards and five touchdowns on 48 catches in 2024 with the Carolina Panthers before his return to Minnesota this year went south.

That said, the 49ers could use wide receiver help on an offense that largely relies on running back Christian McCaffrey in the passing game. McCaffrey has 85 catches for 806 yards and five touchdowns, and no receiver after him has more than 41 receptions, 482 yards, and five touchdowns.

Thielen could add depth, leadership, and at least a spark to a team looking to get back to the Super Bowl for the first time since the 2023 season. He wants to join a contender, and the 49ers very much are in the hunt for a deep postseason run this year.

“Since this past spring, I knew this was going to be my last season playing in the National Football League,” Thielen wrote. “Given that, the Vikings allowed me the opportunity to go compete elsewhere for the last few weeks of my career.”

49ers Need to Take Load Off of CMC

McCaffrey catching 85 passes means he is taking on a big workload on top of a big workload.

He has 237 carries in the running game this season, and McCaffrey has rushed for 849 yards and eight touchdowns in the process. The Niners are getting some run support from running back Brian Robinson Jr., who has 328 yards and two touchdowns on 72 carries, but it’s a giant drop-off after him.

In the passing game, wide receiver Kendrick Bourne has the most yards at 482, but he has yet to find the end zone this season. Wideout Jauan Jennings had 458 yards and five touchdowns on 41 catches, but those numbers are good when No. 1 wide receiver is putting up McCaffrey numbers and isn’t also running the ball.

After Bourne and Jennings, Ricky Pearsall has 25 catches for 347 yards, and Demarcus Robinson has 13 catches for 163 yards. Tight end George Kittle, meanwhile, has been strong with 37 catches for 396 yards and five touchdowns, and fellow tight end Jake Tonges has 20 receptions for 187 yards and a touchdown.

Adam Thielen Has Valuable Playoff Experience

An undrafted free agent from Division II Minnesota State-Mankato, Thielen obtained valuable playoff experience in his first go-around with the Vikings. That could help the Niners if he joins the team.

Thielen played for the 2017 Vikings team, which pulled a last-second comeback against the New Orleans Saints in a play known as the Minneapolis Miracle — a 61-yard touchdown pass the former Vikings quarterback Case Keenum threw to former Vikings star wideout Stefon Diggs. Thielen then played in the NFC Championship Game on the road against the Philadelphia Eagles, a team the 49ers have been quite familiar with in recent years.

He also had a part in a Vikings road playoff win against the New Orleans Saints in the 2020 season. Thielen has 24 catches for 331 yards in six career playoff games.

Matthew Davis covers the NFL, WNBA and college sports for Heavy.com. As a contributing writer to the StarTribune, he has also covered Minnesota prep sports since 2016. More about Matthew Davis