WR Adam Thielen compares joining Steelers this late in season to 'learning a new language'

For the first time since he joined the Pittsburgh Steelers this week, Adam Thielen was scheduled to meet with the media immediately after practice Thursday. Instead, he spent a half hour at the team’s indoor practice facility running plays and concepts with quarterbacks Mason Rudolph and Will Howard.

Meetings were next, and that took up another hour of the 35-year-old wide receiver’s time. Finally, he stood in front of the assembled reporters but not before apologizing for his lateness.

With the Steelers playing in Baltimore in three days, Thielen can be forgiven for feeling like a college student cramming a semester’s worth of information into a few all-nighters.

Asked to describe the learning curve after spending his first 12 seasons in the NFC, Thielen couldn’t help but laugh.

“It’s steep,” he said. “Learning an NFL playbook in a few days, it’s comparable to learning a new language.”

The only difference is Thielen can’t rely on Rosetta Stone for guidance.

No matter.

“It’s stuff I love to do,” Thielen said. “I love the game of football. I love learning new systems and trying to get the verbiage down and learn the little details. I’m trying to get a grasp of the foundation first and get the intricacies after that.”

After he and the Minnesota Vikings mutually decided to part ways Monday, ending his second tour with his hometown team, Thielen was claimed off waivers by the Steelers on Tuesday. Thielen joined the team in time for morning meetings Wednesday and has taken part in two practices.

Because he is on the 53-man roster, Thielen has a chance to contribute if he’s active Sunday when the 6-6 Steelers will play the 6-6 Ravens in a matchup of first-place teams in the AFC North.

Thielen wasn’t surprised to learn the Steelers had claimed him. He knew the team expressed an interest in trading for him at the 2024 deadline when he was with the Carolina Panthers.

“The situation that they are in,” Thielen said before correcting himself. “That we are in, it was an opportunity for me to come in and make an impact. So much is out of your control at that point, but I talked to my agent, and we got a grasp of what teams had needs at the position.”

The Steelers certainly fit the bill, having gone nearly two seasons searching for a consistent No. 2 receiving threat. Last year, they struggled to find a complementary piece to George Pickens. This year, the Steelers have tried several candidates to pair with DK Metcalf.

“At this point, I’m really focused on what I can control,” Thielen said. “That’s learning this playbook as fast as possible. I want to make an impact today. I’m not worried about Sunday right now. I want to make an impact today by being prepared, being mentally prepared, and then I’m a big believer that you have to go prove it every day.”

A former undrafted free agent, Thielen has exceeded expectations by making two Pro Bowls in his career. He has 693 receptions for 8,380 yards and 64 touchdowns in his 12 seasons. He is a three-time 1,000-yard receiver, and he reached that figure, while catching 103 passes, as recently as 2023. This year, after being traded from Carolina to Minnesota, Thielen totaled just eight catches for 69 yards in 11 games.

“Adam is a guy with a lot of experience, and he can add a lot of things to the room,” offensive coordinator Arthur Smith said. “Guys can learn from watching his habits, the way he runs his routes. We’ll see how it goes.”

When Thielen asked for his release from the Vikings, he wanted to go to a destination where he could contribute. He played just 29% of the offensive snaps with the Vikings, and he caught two passes for 11 yards against the Steelers when the teams met in Dublin in September.

“I still feel I can run all the routes,” he said. “I can be a deep threat, intermediate and short. As an older player, you get tagged as, ‘He can’t run anymore.’ I’ve always felt the need to go prove otherwise. I feel really good, and I’m excited about just being on the field.”

Thielen plans to retire after this season, which made it difficult for him to ask for his release considering he spent 10 seasons with the Vikings.

“Obviously, things could change,” he said, “but I feel like I’ve given everything I’ve had for so long that I could feel really good about it, if (retirement) is what it looks like.”