NFL Network brought Adam Thielen onto GameDay Live on Sunday, less than two weeks after the 35-year-old announced his retirement from professional football.
The network aired pregame coverage ahead of the AFC and NFC Championship games, with the Patriots traveling to face the Broncos at 3 p.m. ET on CBS and the Rams heading to Seattle to take on the Seahawks at 6:30 p.m. ET on Fox.
Thielen discussed what it’s like to play with a backup quarterback in a championship game, particularly relevant given Denver will start Jarrett Stidham after Bo Nix broke his ankle in the Broncos’ overtime win over Buffalo in the divisional round. Thielen has direct experience with that situation. The Vikings reached the 2017 NFC Championship with Case Keenum at quarterback after losing Sam Bradford to injury earlier that season. Minnesota lost to Philadelphia 38-7, and Thielen caught three passes for 28 yards in that game.
Adam Thielen on what it’s like to play with a backup QB in a Championship game ⬇️@athielen19 pic.twitter.com/iJMOruO5aK
— NFL GameDay (@NFLGameDay) January 25, 2026
He also discussed playing in Denver’s altitude and his experience facing Seattle’s defense during the regular season.
.@athielen19 on his experience playing in the Denver altitude ⬇️ pic.twitter.com/CKbCGvin9F
— NFL GameDay (@NFLGameDay) January 25, 2026
How many points will the Rams score on this Seahawks defense? 👀@athielen19 | @Geraldini93 pic.twitter.com/cZzdNiYST4
— NFL GameDay (@NFLGameDay) January 25, 2026
Thielen retired on Jan. 14 after 13 seasons in the NFL. He spent his first 10 years with the Vikings after signing as an undrafted free agent out of Minnesota State in 2013, earning two Pro Bowl selections and posting back-to-back 1,000-yard seasons in 2017 and 2018.
The Vikings released Thielen in March 2023, and he signed with Carolina. He spent two seasons with the Panthers before getting traded back to Minnesota in August 2025. That reunion lasted three months. The Vikings waived him in December, and Pittsburgh claimed him off waivers. He caught 19 passes for 186 yards across five appearances with the Steelers before they were eliminated from the postseason in the wild-card round.
Current and recently retired players appearing on studio shows throughout the postseason have become relatively standard. CBS added Kirk Cousins and Kyle Long to The NFL Today for the remainder of the playoffs after Matt Ryan left the network to become the Falcons’ president of football operations earlier this month.
Thielen’s appearance carries a bit more weight, given that he announced his retirement 11 days ago. Whether this leads to a regular broadcasting role remains to be seen, but showing up on NFL Network’s pregame coverage while the game is still fresh suggests he’s at least testing the waters.
About Sam Neumann
Since the beginning of 2023, Sam has been a staff writer for Awful Announcing and The Comeback. A 2021 graduate of Temple University, Sam is a Charlotte native, who currently calls Greenville, South Carolina his home. He also has a love/hate relationship with the New York Mets and Jets.