The Steelers claimed veteran wide receiver Adam Thielen off the waiver wire Tuesday following his release Monday by the Vikings.
The move unites Thielen with his friend and Super Bowl-winning quarterback Aaron Rodgers. Rodgers signed a one-year deal with the Steelers in June.
Thielen joins a receiving room in Pittsburgh led by DK Metcalf, who has 45 receptions for 605 yards and five touchdowns. Thielen is in his 12th season and will be the most experienced in the room by five seasons, as Metcalf and Scotty Miller are in their seventh years.
The Steelers are tied with the Ravens atop the AFC North with a 6-6 record. Pittsburgh is coming off a 26-7 loss to the Bills and plays Sunday at Baltimore.
Thielen requested a release via his representation last week, Vikings General Manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah wrote in a statement Monday. The former undrafted free agent wrote in his own statement that he intends this to be his final NFL season and wanted to “go compete elsewhere” to close out that tenure.
Thielen’s playing time took a significant cut starting in Week 4 when Jordan Addison, the Vikings’ No. 2 receiver behind Justin Jefferson, returned from a three-game suspension.
When the Vikings lost to the Steelers during Week 4 in Dublin, Thielen had two receptions for 11 yards.
Vikings coach Kevin O’Connell said Monday there was no negativity in dialogue with Thielen about his reps and that Thielen “wants to finish this thing off the right way.”
