When Adam Thielen steps onto the first tee at Nevada’s Edgewood Tahoe on July 11, it won’t just be another celebrity golf event — it will be a glimpse of competitive calm before NFL training camps resume. The 36th annual American Century Championship provides a unique platform for athletes from various sports to showcase their golf skills in a competitive, 54-hole setting from July 9-13.
For Thielen, who enters his ninth appearance, it also serves as a meaningful break between offseason preparation and the Carolina Panthers veteran report date on July 22. But while the pace may be slower than a fall Sunday, the edge remains sharp.
Panthers WR Adam Thielen Joins Star-Studded American Century Championship Before Training Camp Report
Thielen is well-established as one of the event’s most consistent performers. His best finish in seven previous appearances at the American Century Championship is a tie for fourth in 2022.
“It’s always a fun event. American Century does a great job hosting and putting on a phenomenal event off the course and on the course,” Thielen told PFSN of the event, which airs on Peacock. “And for me, it’s a chance to be competitive. Golf is my favorite. It forces you to focus and lock in and grind for 54 holes through the weekend.”
That competitive spirit hasn’t faded. Thielen, now 34, understands the balance between enjoyment and intensity that makes the event unique.
“It’s more just those competitive juices start flowing, but everyone’s checking the scoreboard to see who’s winning, where they fall, and who you’re beating or not beating and trying to catch ’em those next few days.
The 2025 field includes several high-profile NFL names such as Josh Allen, Davante Adams, Travis Kelce, George Kittle, and Aaron Rodgers, alongside retired legends like Jason Kelce, Larry Fitzgerald, and Jerry Rice. For Thielen, it’s both a reunion of familiar faces and an opportunity to compete against elite athletes from MLB, NHL, and NBA.
The summer stretch is short-lived, though. When Panthers veterans report to training camp, Thielen will shift focus back to the field, where he remains a key contributor entering his 12th NFL season. In 2023, he produced his best statistical output since his 2018 Pro Bowl campaign — 103 catches for 1,014 yards and four touchdowns.
Despite missing seven games in 2024 due to a hamstring injury, Thielen returned to lead Carolina in receiving again. He put up two 100+ yard games, including one in Week 14 against the Philadelphia Eagles’ second-ranked passing defense.
Bryce Young to Adam Thielen! Big play on 4th down.
đź“ş: #CARvsPHI on FOX
📱: https://t.co/waVpO8ZBqG pic.twitter.com/m2uaiVVskP— NFL (@NFL) December 8, 2024
The organization rewarded that consistency this spring with a revised contract that raises his salary to $8.75 million with up to $4 million in incentives. It was a commitment, Thielen said, that reaffirmed his own belief in the franchise’s direction and his decision to return for the 2025 season.
“Leadership in the organization right now was a big part of why I came back,” he said. “I believed in what they were going to do this offseason — bringing in strong leaders and talent both in free agency and the draft. And then, obviously, Bryce Young and just some of the guys in the locker room that I have so much respect for and feel like are a huge part of this organization being successful.”
“My family being a hundred percent all in on another year was a big piece of that, too. So, a lot of factors, but I’m excited to be back.
Why Thielen Believes in Bryce Young — and What Makes Tetairoa McMillan Special
Among the key reasons Thielen returned is the opportunity to continue working with Young, who made tangible progress late in the 2024 season. “He’s come a long way in understanding what it takes to be successful as a team,” Thielen said.
“He has a unique ability to analyze things and apply them quickly. I appreciate that about him. His confidence going into this year, with the same coaching staff, same offense, and coming off a bit of success in this league. You can feel it and see it; guys are just all in on him being our guy, our kind of face of the franchise. So that’s cool to see.”
Statistically, Young’s growth was evident. Over the final three games of the season, his average passer rating improved from 79.9 to 110.5, and he threw zero interceptions. Thielen’s reliability was a factor in that development — and one he doesn’t take for granted.
“That’s been my mindset since I was a young player. I got to go prove to this guy that he can trust me, and when the game’s on the line, he’s going to come my way because he knows that I’m going to make a play for him.”
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His influence now extends to the Panthers’ first-round pick, wide receiver Tetairoa McMillan, a physically gifted target out of Arizona. Thielen has been impressed by more than McMillan’s size and athleticism.
“Mentally, his natural ability to understand the game … I haven’t been around too many guys that it just comes so easily to them this early … the playbook, the little intricacies, the game within the game. That has really stuck out to me.
“The same thing on the field, physically, everything just comes very natural to him. He doesn’t have to force anything or do anything that’s kind of out of his comfort zone because it just comes so naturally to him. That’s going to help him have a lot of success. And on top of that, he’s a great human being. So those things created together usually lead to a long career.”
Thielen Names NFL Legends and Outlines Retirement Vision
Thielen’s career, marked by consistency and production, offers McMillan a solid blueprint. His perspective on elite defensive backs — Darrelle Revis, Patrick Peterson, and Stephon Gilmore among them — will prove valuable both in film sessions and on the field. Revis, in particular, stood out.
“I faced him when I was a young player, but just his patience and his ability to know what was going on based on your releases, and knew there were only a couple of options, and his pattern matching and reading, and his physicality, he made it really tough. But those guys all kind of have the same play style, very patient, very confident, and very tough to go against.”
When asked to name his personal Mount Rushmore of wide receivers, Thielen didn’t hesitate: Cris Carter, Randy Moss, Rice, and Fitzgerald. He acknowledged the challenge of limiting the list to four, adding Adams and Antonio Brown as honorable mentions. “There are so many greats, but those six have always stood out to me,” he said.
Looking ahead, Thielen is aware that his time in the league is nearing its end. While he’s not ready to walk away just yet, he’s already thinking about what comes next. “I’ll get into some type of media. I don’t know what that’ll look like, but I want to stay around the game.”
Thielen and his wife, Caitlin, have three kids: Asher, Hudson, and Cora. Post-NFL, he wants to up his game with them, which includes coaching youth sports.
“My boys are pretty into sports right now, and I was able to coach quite a bit this spring. But being as involved as possible in my kids’ lives will be great. And then dabbling here and there and playing a lot of golf.”
For now, his attention is on Tahoe, then back to Charlotte for the start of training camp. Whether a fairway swing or a squirrel route, Thielen still finds purpose in competition.
