Mike Tomlin’s record of going .500 or better in every season with the Pittsburgh Steelers is in danger, but it’s going to take far more than the addition of this wide receiver to turn the team around. Sure, quarterback Aaron Rodgers needs all the help he can get, but this Steelers team seems to be nowhere near where they were when they started the season 4-1.
Pittsburgh Steelers Add Veteran WR Adam Thielen
After requesting his release from the Minnesota Vikings, Adam Thielen quickly found a new home in Pittsburgh. Thielen’s NFL career has been quite the story, as he left the Carolina Panthers before this season to return home to Minnesota. Now, with just five games left in his career, he’s set to play with a four-time NFL MVP.
Going from J.J. McCarthy and Max Brosmer to Rodgers is going to feel like a culture shock, to put it lightly. Thielen, 35, has played in 11 games this season. He wanted to go to a contender and leave with his head held high, and it seems like he found the perfect place to do so.
Rodgers may only have a D+ in PFSN’s QB Impact metric, but that doesn’t tell the entire story.
Two-time Pro Bowl WR Adam Thielen was claimed off waivers by the Steelers, per source.
Thielen, 35, wanted one more shot at a Super Bowl in his final season and now lands with longtime NFC North rival Aaron Rodgers in Pittsburgh. pic.twitter.com/if1NOr2XGS
— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) December 2, 2025
Over the last year and a half, this will be Thielen’s third team. Rodgers has seemingly no one at WR to throw to other than D.K. Metcalf, so this gives him a new weapon as the team will be scratching and clawing their way to an AFC North title.
It’s far from out of reach, but it feels like a far-fetched imagination with the way the Cincinnati Bengals and Baltimore Ravens have been playing.
Thielen will have to learn the playbook quickly, or he’ll be at the expense of Rodgers taking it out on him. Rodgers, who played for the Buffalo Bills with one hand, expressed his displeasure with what should’ve been a touchdown in that game.
There were plenty of moments he’d love to have back, but Rodgers proved that even with just one hand, he’s still better than Mason Rudolph.
For the first time in his career, Thielen will get to play with Rodgers. The two are no strangers to one another, as Thielen spent years with the Vikings while the 41-year-old was on the Green Bay Packers.
This could be a late-blooming relationship that turns the offense around, or it could be a nothing addition that is never spoken of again. Either way, Thielen has said this is going to be his final year in the NFL.