Veteran wide receiver Adam Thielen has a new home — and a new jersey number.
After being claimed off of waivers Tuesday by the Pittsburgh Steelers, Thielen looks to close out his terrific career on a high note after being a healthy scratch in his final game with the Minnesota Vikings. He’ll start a new chapter in Pittsburgh with a new number.
Having worn No. 19 his entire career, Thielen needed new digits due to Steelers wide receiver Calvin Austin III donning No. 19 for the last four years. Thielen will now wear No. 16, as listed on the team’s website.
Practice squad wide receiver John Rhys Plumlee had been wearing No. 16 but has now switched to No. 82.
The last Steeler to wear No. 16 before Plumlee and now Thielen was wide receiver Robert Woods, who wore it during training camp and the preseason after being a free agent signing following the 2025 NFL Draft. The Steelers released Woods from their practice squad on Sept. 2.
The last Steelers player to wear No. 16 in a regular-season game was linebacker Myles Jack late in the 2023 season. Others include cornerback Josh Jackson in 2022, kicker Matthew Wright in 2020 and wide receiver Lance Moore in 2014. The two best players to have worn 16 for the Steelers were quarterbacks Mark Malone and Charlie Batch.
Prior to joining the Steelers after being claimed off waivers, Thielen had a quiet year in Minnesota. Traded to the Vikings before the start of the season by the Carolina Panthers, Thielen returned to where he spent the first 10 years of his career. The move was expected to give first-year starting quarterback J.J. McCarthy a boost in weaponry, but Thielen didn’t quite fit in with the Vikings this time around.
He hauled in just eight passes for eight passes for 69 yards for them with a long of 19 yards and played just 185 offensive snaps, seeing 18 total targets. Last season in Carolina, Thielen missed seven games with a hamstring injury, but still finished with a respectable 48 receptions for 615 yards and five touchdowns.
Despite the quiet season in Minnesota, the hope is that Thielen can step in with the Steelers and provide some stability at wide receiver for 42-year-old quarterback Aaron Rodgers, whom he has familiarity with after having played against him in the NFC North for years.
Thielen showed the ability to win in the quick-passing game this season in Minnesota, serving as a safety outlet early in the season for McCarthy. That should work well in Pittsburgh as the Steelers utilize the quick-passing game to get the ball out of Rodgers’ hands fast.