Steelers Signal Veteran WR Adam Thielen, Launch CB Darius Slay

PITTSBURGH — For his birthday, the Pittsburgh Steelers bought Aaron Rodgers a brand new receiver.

The group was awarded former Minnesota Vikings large receiver Adam Thielen off waivers Tuesday. The addition got here amid a flurry of strikes that additionally noticed the Steelers waive veteran cornerback Darius Slay. Moreover, the Steelers are signing cornerback Asante Samuel Jr. to the energetic roster from the observe squad, a supply informed ESPN.

Thielen was waived by the Vikings a day after he was a wholesome scratch within the group’s 26-0 loss to the Seattle Seahawks. Vikings basic supervisor Kwesi Adofo-Mensah stated Thielen’s agent requested for a launch final week because the 35-year-old receiver sought to make a larger contribution elsewhere within the closing weeks of his closing season earlier than retirement. As soon as Minnesota’s large receiver corps returned to full energy following Jordan Addison‘s reinstatement, Thielen’s function dwindled. He performed simply three snaps in his closing sport in opposition to the Packers in Week 12.

“Since this previous Spring, I knew this was going to be my final season enjoying within the Nationwide Soccer League,” Thielen wrote in a put up on social media. “Provided that, the Vikings allowed me the chance to go compete elsewhere for the previous couple of weeks of my profession.”

Thielen now lands with a Steelers group that has struggled to generate a lot offense this season. With Rodgers, who turned 42 on Tuesday, on the helm, the Steelers’ passing assault is twenty fourth within the league, averaging simply 187.8 yards per sport. DK Metcalf, acquired by the Steelers in a blockbuster commerce this spring, leads the group with 605 receiving yards and 5 landing receptions however is averaging a career-low 50.4 yards per sport. The receiver depth behind Metcalf is missing, too, after one other Steelers commerce despatched George Pickens to the Dallas Cowboys within the offseason. Calvin Austin III has the subsequent most yards amongst Steelers large receivers with 278, and he is averaging simply 27.8 yards per sport.

After finishing underneath 50% of his move makes an attempt in a 26-7 loss to the Buffalo Payments on Sunday, Rodgers seemingly known as out his large receivers when requested how he might get on the identical web page with them, notably on the deep balls.

“When there’s movie classes, all people reveals up,” Rodgers stated of how one can remedy the problems. “And once I verify to a route, do the correct route. Like, Jonnu [Smith] and I simply weren’t on the identical web page. I checked to the in-breaker, and he ran the out-breaker. You already know, Jonnu is a real skilled, so I am positive he is sick about that.”

Although Thielen and Rodgers spent most of their careers on reverse sides of the Vikings-Packers rivalry and have by no means performed collectively, the 2 developed a friendship by way of golf and the American Century Traditional. Rodgers and Thielen are the oldest energetic quarterback and receiver within the NFL, respectively.

Thielen was beforehand acquired by Minnesota earlier this yr for his second stint with the franchise because the Vikings despatched the Carolina Panthers a 2026 fifth-round decide and a 2027 fourth-round decide for Thielen, a conditional 2026 seventh-round decide and a 2027 fifth-round decide. Thielen formally concludes his Minnesota profession as No. 3 in profession landing catches (55), fourth in receptions (542) and fifth in receiving yards (6,751).

In 11 video games this season, Thielen caught eight passes for 69 yards. He had a 1,000-yard season as just lately as 2023, when he had 1,014 yards on 103 receptions for the Panthers.

And whereas the Steelers added Thielen on Tuesday, in addition they parted with a veteran on the alternative aspect of the ball in Slay. Slay and the Steelers mutually agreed to half methods, brokers Drew Rosenhaus and Robert Bailey informed ESPN’s Adam Schefter. Slay is eager about persevering with to play and can take into account signing with different groups, his brokers informed Schefter.

Slay, 34, was a wholesome scratch for Sunday’s sport in opposition to the Payments because the Steelers opted as an alternative to raise Samuel to the energetic roster for the sport.

At his weekly information convention Tuesday, coach Mike Tomlin stated making Slay inactive was extra about seeing what they’d in Samuel, whom the group signed to the observe squad Nov. 11, than it was about Slay’s latest efficiency.

Contemporary off profitable the Tremendous Bowl with the Philadelphia Eagles, Slay signed a one-year, $10 million contract with the Steelers in free company and began 9 video games in Pittsburgh this season. He missed the Week 11 sport in opposition to the Cincinnati Bengals with a concussion sustained in a Week 10 loss to the Los Angeles Chargers, and when he returned for the Week 12 sport in opposition to the Chicago Bears, he got here off the bench as former undrafted free agent James Pierre moved into the beginning function reverse Joey Porter Jr.

Slay performed simply 20 snaps (30.8%) in opposition to the Bears, his fewest of the season apart from the injury-shortened Chargers sport. Slay completed his transient Steelers tenure with 3 passes defensed, 1 fumble restoration, 36 complete tackles and 1 deal with for loss. With Slay inactive in opposition to the Payments, the Steelers needed to flip to Samuel when Pierre exited with a concussion. Samuel, who went 14 months between NFL motion as he recovered from spinal fusion surgical procedure, wound up enjoying 28 defensive snaps (37.8%) and recorded three complete tackles.

With Slay’s departure and Pierre nonetheless within the concussion protocol, Samuel might be in line for much more work in opposition to the Ravens on Sunday.

“We preferred among the issues that we noticed,” Tomlin stated of Samuel. “And we’ll make selections about how we divide the labor up somewhat later within the week.”