Vikings Rumor Roundup: Adam Thielen Trade, Stephon Gilmore, and Daniel Jones Woes

Pro Football Focus listed 15 NFLers who could be traded this summer or before the November deadline, and Adam Thielen made the cut.

PFF’s Bradley Locker explained, “The Panthers built on their late-season growth via a solid offseason, acquiring marquee talent on both sides of the ball. But a side effect of those personnel changes is a logjam at wide receiver, which could relegate Thielen.”

“Even at age 34, Thielen performed admirably with Carolina in 2024. The veteran produced a 76.5 PFF receiving grade with 2.06 yards per route run while also sitting 73rd in separation rate and 65th in separation rate against single coverage.”

No current Vikings made the list.

Locker continued, “On the surface, it would seem quixotic for the Panthers to trade a player still going strong in Thielen. But with eighth-overall pick Tetairoa McMillan entering the fold, head coach Dave Canales effectively has two starting spots for three players: Thielen, Jalen Coker and Xavier Legette.”

“Thielen is the oldest and on an expiring contract, which would figure to make him the most expendable; after all, the Panthers could likely obtain a solid draft pick instead of keeping him in a limited role.”

Thielen will turn 35 this month, and per PFF, he might get one more change of NFL scenery.

Rumor: Stephon Gilmore is in high demand from Cowboys-themed media.

Dallas lost cornerback Caelen Carson to a hyperextended knee this week, prompting some Cowboys-themed websites to suggest Stephon Gilmore, a former Cowboy, as a sensible replacement.

SI.com’s Josh Sanchez wrote, “Dallas must reunite with veteran cornerback Stephon Gilmore. Gilmore, the 2019 NFL Defensive Player of the Year, spent the 2024 season with the Minnesota Vikings and will turn 25 in December, but he still has the itch to play.”

“Last season, Gilmore played in 15 games and recorded 56 tackles, an interception, and nine passes defensed. In the 2023 season with Dallas, Gilmore hauled in two interceptions with 68 tackles, 13 passes defensed, and a forced fumble.”

played well most of the time.

“He played in all 17 games. With the Cowboys needing depth in the secondary, bringing back a veteran presence who still has the urge to play and finish his career on a high note is a no-brainer. It’s low-risk, high-reward in a major area of need,” Sanchez continued.

“If Jerry Jones really cares about winning, he should pick up the phone and make the call, because the answer to Dallas’ lack of secondary depth is hiding in plain sight.”

Gilmore to Dallas would make quite a bit of sense. He showed up at Dallas’ headquarters around the draft, creating speculation about a free-agent relationship. Nothing yet.

Rumor: Daniel Jones is losing the QB1 battle at Colts training camp.

In the spring, Jones became the frontrunner to win the Colts’ QB1 job, mainly because Anthony Richardson was sidelined with a shoulder injury.

Now, that theory has been dialed back.

SI.com’s Ryan Phillips explained this week, “The Indianapolis Colts don’t have a quarterback competition, they have a quarterback problem. Last month, reports suggested free agent signing Daniel Jones had an edge on the returning Anthony Richardson, but it appears that is no longer the case.”

“Reports out of Colts training camp suggest Jones has not played well. One would assume that if Jones had been bad during training camp, Richardson would have surpassed him, but that hasn’t happened either. Instead, it appears the Colts are in limbo with two underperforming signal-callers.”

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