NFL trade deadline: Proposal has Panthers trading Adam Thielen to AFC North power

CBS Sports analyst Cody Benjamin includes Carolina's veteran receiver on his list of potential trades.

CHARLOTTE, NORTH CAROLINA - OCTOBER 13: Adam Thielen #19 of the Carolina Panthers is seen on the field after their game against the Atlanta Falcons at Bank of America Stadium on October 13, 2024 in Charlotte, North Carolina. / (Photo by Matt Kelley/Getty Images)

The Carolina Panthers have a real chance to cash in at the 2024 NFL trade deadline. Perhaps no other team around the league has a longer list of interesting potential trade assets. Most of the attention will be focused on quarterback Bryce Young and wide receiver Diontae Johnson, but there are several role players who might also qualify as trade-bait, including running backs Miles Sanders and Chuba Hubbard, as well as veteran wide receiver Adam Thielen.

Thielen in particular is a good candidate to get dealt considering the context. At 34 years old he's unlikely to be a meaningful contributor long-term for this team, and there's increasingly less and less room for targets in what's becoming a rising young receiver room (assuming they don't trade Johnson). In addition to Diontae at the top, rookies Xavier Legette and Jalen Coker have been flashing of late, giving Carolina's front office yet another incentive to get what they can for Thielen.

Should the Panthers decide to deal him, what could they get in return? Cody Benjamin at CBS Sports came up with a scenario for the trade deadline that has Carolina getting a fifth-round draft pick from the Pittsburgh Steelers.

CBS on Adam Thielen to Steelers

"The Steelers have been sniffing around blockbuster wideouts this year, from Adams to Brandon Aiyuk, but there are an abundance of lower-tier alternatives who could be available. Thielen is one, coming off an injury at 34 for the Panthers' stuck-in-mud rebuild. He's got a much lower ceiling than a playmaker like Adams, but when healthy, he's remained one of the NFL's most surehanded possession targets, making him a logical partner for the more explosive George Pickens in Pittsburgh's otherwise old-school attack."

It makes a lot of sense on both sides. Pittsburgh desperately needs receiver help with George Pickens at the top of their depth chart and little else to get excited about. The Steelers should probably be shooting higher and trying to get Diontae Johnson back, but the only Diontae Johnson deal the Panthers should even think about is a contract extension.

Thielen would slide in as Pittsburgh's number two wide receiver and would have a chance to really contribute for what looks to be a playoff team. The Steelers are 4-2 heading into Week 7 and have upcoming home games against the New York Jets and Giants. They should take care of both and go into the trade deadline at 6-2, so long as they don't do anything silly like replacing Justin Fields with Russell Wilson in the starting lineup.

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