Word of a potential trade involving wide receiver Adam Thielen was swirling for a while before the Panthers pulled the trigger on a deal sending him back to the Vikings on Wednesday.

The move made a lot of sense for a Vikings team short on early-season certainty at wideout behind Justin Jefferson and it showed that the Panthers have faith in a young receiving corps after spending first-round picks on receivers the last two seasons. Panthers head coach Dave Canales said on Wednesday that he has confidence in those picks — Xavier Legette and Tetairoa McMillan — and others to fill the offense while noting that the trade gives those players a chance to show they are capable of being Bryce Young’s go-to guy on the biggest plays.

“Adam makes plays ,” Canales said, via the team’s website. “

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