Adam Thielen‘s 21-day activation window was set to close Wednesday. As a result, Carolina will indeed move the veteran wide receiver back onto its 53-man roster.

The Panthers officially activated Thielen from IR, burning one of their IR-return moves in order to have the 34-year-old pass catcher back in the fold. Had the team passed on doing so, Thielen would have spent the rest of the season on IR. The three-time 1,000-yard receiver has worked his way back from a hamstring injury.

Having not played since Week 3, Thielen has missed much of his second Panthers season. The team had turned to Andy Dalton before the Raiders game that featured Thielen’s injury but has since traded Diontae Johnson and Jonathan Mingo and then turned back to Bryce Young. While rumblings of the team giving Dalton another chance emerged following the thumb injury he sustained in a car accident, Young has guided the team to back-to-back wins.

It would stand to reason, based on the investment the Panthers made in the former Heisman winner, the younger passer would remain at the controls. Thielen is now back in the picture to help Young develop. The longtime Vikings starter arrived, via a three-year deal worth $25MM, to help Young develop last year. He was about the only positive component on the 2023 Panthers’ offense, which faceplanted during Frank Reich and Thomas Brown‘s stewardship. Thielen still picked up his third 1,000-yard season and entered this year with a fully guaranteed salary.

As could be expected given Thielen’s age and Carolina’s place during this rebuild, the 12th-year wideout came up in trade rumors. Thielen was mentioned along with Johnson and Mingo as trade candidates, with a move to a contender believed to be a development the second-year Panther would appreciate. Prior to acquiring Mike Williams, the Steelers showed interest. No trade happened, and Thielen is now positioned to work with first-rounder Xavier Legette and rookie UDFA Jalen Coker as Carolina’s top receivers.

It is possible Thielen could still be cut, in an effort to send him to a contending team, but he would hit the waiver wire if dropped since the trade deadline has passed. A team would be responsible for just less than $2MM in the event of a Thielen claim. For now, the possession target — who had displayed frustration about the state of the team’s passing attack in September — remains a Panther ahead of the team’s Week 12 matchup with the Chiefs.

The Panthers cut wideout-turned-tight end Jordan Matthews once again to clear a roster spot for Thielen. The former WR starter is in his second season with the Panthers.