Jan. 24, 2026, 1:26 p.m. CT

Adam Thielen recently retired from the NFL, and when he left the league, it was with good standing and being seen as one of the best players in franchise history for the Vikings. On top of being an All-Pro wide receiver on the field, he is extremely open and honest off the field. Recently, he was asked who the best player he had ever played with was in his career.

Thielen told the hosts of Pardon My Take it was, “Justin (Jefferson), pretty much hands down. I’d say Adrian Pearson is right there, obviously, but I’ve never seen a guy just have so much consistency with everything stacked against him. I mean, he had every team, the only person they’re trying to take away on our offense is Justin, and he still has a 1,000 yards. It’s crazy.”

Thielen giving such an obvious answer, while also highlighting a future Hall of Famer in Adrian Peterson, really puts a stamp on how special Jefferson is. He went on to add that there is one part of Jefferson that makes him more special than the rest: consistency.

“You know, guys have good seasons year after year after year, but their teams aren’t just focusing on one thing to take him away. Like that’s what teams are doing against him. He’s the only person that they’re like, he’s not going to be this. Anyone else can beat us, and we’re fine with that, but Justin cannot beat us. . .”

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