MANKATO — One of Minnesota State’s greats has called it quits.
Former Minnesota State and Minnesota Vikings wide receiver Adam Thielen announced his retirement after 12 seasons in the NFL Wednesday.
“As a Minnesota native, putting on this uniform over the years and representing this community both on and off the field has meant much more to me,” Thielen said on X, formerly known as Twitter. “This team is in my bones, it’s in my heart and it’s part of my DNA. I will always be a Minnesota Viking.”
A native of Detroit Lakes, Thielen appeared in 46 games as a member of the MSU football program. Across four seasons with the Mavericks he tallied 198 catches for 2,802 yards and 20 touchdown. He earned All-NSIC First Team honors twice and earned Daktronics All-Super Region Team Three honors as a senior.
It’s also hard to look at MSU’s record books and not find his name on multiple occasions.
Thielen’s 2012 season saw him rack up 74 receptions, tied for the second most in a single season by an MSU players with Chad Ellman, who snagged 74 passes in 1996. Thielen recorded 1,176 receiving yards in 2012, the sixth most by an MSU player. His 192 career receptions rank third all-time and his 2,674 receiving yards rank fourth all-time.
Thielen went undrafted in 2013 but secured a spot with the Minnesota Vikings practice squad. He later earned a spot on the Vikings’ 53-man roster in 2014.
He also made the most of the opportunity.
During his 12 seasons in the NFL, Thielen tallied 8,497 career receiving yards and 64 touchdown catches while playing in 178 games with the Minnesota Vikings, Carolina Panthers and Pittsburgh Steelers.
Thielen was named to two Pro Bowls in 2017 and 2018 and earned Second Team All-Pro honors in 2017. As a Viking, Thielen finished his career ranked fifth all-time in receiving yards with 6,751 and third all-time in touchdown catches with 55.
He also holds two NFL records.
He’s tied with Hall of Fame receiver Calvin Johnson for most consecutive games with 100+ receiving yards with eight. Thielen’s eight-straight games with 100+ receiving yards is also the most by any player to begin a season.