Carolina Panthers DVOA, Stats, & NFL Rankings

ESPN's Jeremy Fowler reports that the Carolina Panthers want veteran wide receiver Adam Thielen back for the 2025 campaign. Thielen hinted that he would contemplate retirement this offseason, but he recently said that he has decided to come back for another season. The 34-year-old veteran is due for more than $6 million in overall payout in the final year of his deal, but the two sides could renegotiate on a new one-year contract or extension. Fowler gets the sense that the Panthers don't plan to release Thielen. The two-time Pro Bowler played in just 10 games in 2024 due to a hamstring injury and finished with a 48-615-5 line on 62 targets. Thielen did have over 1,000 receiving yards in his first year in Carolina in 2023 and has plenty of chemistry with rising young quarterback Bryce Young. The upside is limited, but fantasy managers shouldn't discount his rapport with Young if he stays with the Panthers.

ESPN's David Newton reports that Carolina Panthers wide receiver Adam Thielen plans to play in 2025. Thielen said at the end of the 2024 regular season that he was contemplating retirement, but after hinting toward a return recently, it appears that he will indeed return to the team next season. The 34-year-old veteran pass-catcher has one year left on the three-year, $25 million contract he signed with Carolina before the 2023 campaign. The two-time Pro Bowler had the third 1,000-yard receiving season of his career in his first year with the Panthers but regressed to 615 receiving yards and 48 receptions in 2024, although he also played in a career-low-tying 10 games due to a hamstring injury. Thielen won't be an upside target in fantasy, but his chemistry with young quarterback Bryce Young should not be discounted as a flex option in 2025.

The Carolina Panthers signed former Washington Commanders wide receiver Brycen Tremayne to a Reserve/Futures deal on Tuesday, according to Panthers beat writer Darin Gantt. Tremayne went undrafted out of college at Stanford but was eventually picked up by the Commanders. He made his NFL debut with Washington in 2024 and was active in two games, catching his only target for a loss of two yards. The 25-year-old pass-catcher spent most of his time in D.C. the last two seasons toiling on the Commanders' practice squad. The 6-foot-4, 212-pounder will now continue his development with the Panthers this offseason and will be hoping to win a spot on the active 53-man roster for Week 1 by impressing Carolina's coaching staff in training camp this summer.

Carolina Panthers wide receiver Adam Thielen said after the 2024 regular season that he planned on evaluating his future this offseason before committing to a return for a 12th year in the NFL. Thielen was limited to 10 games last season due to injuries, but it sounds like he's leaning toward returning in 2025 for another season. "Yeah, I think I still have some more football in me. We'll see how that plays out in the next few weeks," Thielen said. The 34-year-old pass-catcher is a two-time Pro Bowler who spent the first nine seasons of his career with the Minnesota Vikings before signing a three-year, $25 million deal with Carolina in 2023. Despite a tough two seasons with the Panthers, Thielen admits quarterback Bryce Young's improvement last year and head coach Dave Canales have been important in his decision-making progress. Although he played in only 10 games in 2024, he did average 12.8 yards per catch.

The Carolina Panthers announced on Tuesday that they signed free-agent tight end James Mitchell and outside linebacker Boogie Basham to Reserve/Futures deals. Mitchell was a former fifth-round selection by the Detroit Lions in 2022 out of Virginia Tech. He was with the Lions on their practice squad in 2024 and will now try to make Carolina's active 53-man roster for the 2025 season. In 30 games over three seasons in the NFL, he has only recorded 13 catches for 141 yards and one touchdown in Detroit. Basham, meanwhile, was a second-round selection by the Buffalo Bills in 2021 out of Wake Forest. He'll reunite with general manager Dan Morgan, who was in Buffalo's front office when he was drafted. In 40 games over his four years in the NFL, Basham has 4.5 sacks. He was traded to the New York Giants in 2023.