3 big moves the Chiefs can make to upgrade at wide receiver

2. Adam Thielen, Vikings free agent

If there is one move that might pay off better than signing Odell Beckham Jr. right now in NFL Free Agency at the wide receiver position, it might be signing former Vikings receiver Adam Thielen. Thielen could call it a career right now and go down as one of the best to ever do it in a Vikings uniform, but entering his age 33 season, he’s still got a lot to offer some team.

The Minnesota lifer now has the chance to spread his wings and land with a new NFL team, and as painful as it would be for the rest of the league, he could find himself playing for the reigning Super Bowl champs and making a huge difference.

Thielen doesn’t fit the prototype of the receivers the Chiefs have typically targeted. He doesn’t run a 4.3 these days but he’s a crafty route runner, he can still get open, he can still make plays after the catch, and he can still be a dynamic weapon in the red zone.

Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce led the NFL last season with 19 receptions in the red zone, 10 of which went for touchdowns. That figure was also the best in the NFL. Adam Thielen was tied for third in the league in 2022 with 14 receptions in the red zone, five of which went for touchdowns.

Not only does Thielen upgrade your unit there (as if the Chiefs really needed much help) but it just gives you an additional option there with one of the most consistent players in the league at cashing in when you get inside the 20.

Having Thielen around can also help young players like Skyy Moore and Kadarius. Toney tremendously. Those guys were both high draft picks in recent years and Thielen has been around the block a few times. Although the structure of the Chiefs right now is such that you don’t really need a veteran presence at that position, Thielen is the type of guy who could really take those young players under his wing and impact this Chiefs roster substantially for years to come.