Adam Thielen knows things are different, so he has to prove himself again

Thielen more than proved his value last season as the one reliable part in an offense that was mostly broken. He caught 103 passes for 1,014 yards and four touchdowns during his 33-year-old season after not having broken 75 receptions since 2018. The expectations were not for him to lead a team in the big-number categories, he was supposed to be the complement, but Thielen showed that he can still be relied upon.

He knows this year is different, though, and that change is the through-line of every story about the Panthers between now and the start of the regular season. A new head coach in Dave Canales, a new offense, and a new offensive coaching staff.

And even though he’s the old head of his room, and even though he spent nine years in Minnesota before coming here, Thielen is accustomed to that kind of turnover each year — which may be why he attacks every offseason the same.

“Well, we’re in the NFL. So there’s never normal,” he said with a laugh. “But yeah, I mean, I’ve had what, nine offensive coordinators in 11 years? So you just adjust. There’s always change; that’s the NFL, there’s going to be change, there’s going to be different things, there’s going to be different communication, there’s going to be different verbiage.

“And again, you just, every year, try to own it and try to figure it out and try to make it the best as possible. I think the biggest thing is organization, communication, and everybody being on the same page, right?”