The Carolina Panthers currently have a lot of question marks — most notably, which quarterback the team will take at No. 1 overall in the 2023 NFL Draft after trading up nine spots to do so.
But that uncertainty is not stopping newly signed wide receiver Adam Thielen from dreaming big.
“I wanted to go somewhere where I felt like I had an opportunity to win a Super Bowl,” Thielen said Monday on The Pat McAfee Show. “When I went there, I sat down with Coach [Frank Reich], I sat down with [General Manager Scott Fitterer], I sat down with the whole coaching staff, and I felt like Carolina was the place to do that.
“I feel like there is a real chance to win a Super Bowl, and that gets me so excited.”
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Thielen also referenced several other veteran free agents who the Panthers have recently signed to help their offense, including quarterback Andy Dalton, running back Miles Sanders and tight end Hayden Hurst — and hinted that more additions could be on the way.
“I know they’re talking to a couple other receivers who could really help,” Thielen said.
[2023 NFL free-agency tracker: Signings, best players available]
As confident as Thielen is, it is worth noting that the Panthers are virtually starting from scratch on offense in everything from coaching to personnel. Reich, an offensive-minded coach and former Panthers quarterback himself, has brought in well-regarded quarterback mentors in Jim Caldwell and Josh McCown as top assistants, as he prepares for his first season as Carolina’s head coach. And, as part of the trade with the Bears to land the first overall pick in April’s draft, Fitterer dealt DJ Moore, the team’s leading receiver, to Chicago.
Will Anderson Jr., C.J. Stroud & Hendon Hooker in Joel Klatt’s top 50 players in 2023 NFL Draft
The 25-year-old Moore recorded over 1,000 receiving yards each season from 2019 to 2021, and his per-target averages remained consistent in 2022, even though his overall yardage dipped as the Panthers cycled through three starting quarterbacks. By comparison, the 32-year-old Thielen — ostensibly signed to replace Moore — has not surpassed 1,000 receiving yards since 2018.
Thielen had spent his entire nine-year NFL career with the Minnesota Vikings before getting released by his hometown team earlier in March. He made back-to-back Pro Bowls in 2017 and 2018.
Fitterrer and Reich themselves confirmed to local media Monday that the Panthers will select one of the four quarterbacks in the draft’s consensus top tier with the No. 1 pick — Alabama’s Bryce Young, Ohio State’s C.J. Stroud, Florida’s Anthony Richardson or Kentucky’s Will Levis.
[R.J. Young: C.J. Stroud and the Carolina Panthers are the perfect match at No. 1]
C.J. Stroud or Bryce Young: Who is the favored No. 1 pick?
Despite the steep climb seemingly facing the Panthers, it is not unheard of for a team to make a surprise playoff run not long after selecting first overall in the draft. The Jacksonville Jaguars just made it to the divisional round last season with young quarterback Trevor Lawrence in their first year under head coach Doug Pederson, Reich’s former boss with the Philadelphia Eagles, after finishing with the worst record in the NFL in both 2020 and 2021.
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