Vikings trade Mekhi Blackmon and acquire Adam Thielen in separate trades

Adam Thielen (Michel Sauret, Wikimedia Commons)

The Philadelphia Eagles were not the only team involved in multiple trades this past week. So too were the Minnesota Vikings.

On Monday, the Vikings traded cornerback Mekhi Blackmon of Hayward, California to the Indianapolis Colts for a sixth round draft pick in the 2026 National Football League Draft. Then the Carolina Panthers traded wide receiver Adam Thielen of Detroit Lakes, Minnesota to the Vikings with a seventh round draft pick in 2026, and a fifth round draft pick in 2027, for a fifth round pick in 2026, and a fourth round pick in 2027.

Blackmon played one season with the Eagles in 2023. He had 41 combined tackles (34 solo tackles and seven assisted tackles), three tackles for a loss, one interception, eight pass deflections, and one fumble recovery. Blackmon’s lone interception came in a 27-19 Vikings win over the New Orleans Saints on November 12, 2023 and his fumble recovery came in a 3-0 Vikings win over the Las Vegas Raiders on December 10, 2023. Then on July 24, 2024, Blackmon tore his anterior cruciate ligament on his first day of training camp and was done for the entire season. 

Thielen is returning to the Vikings after playing nine seasons there from 2014 to 2022. In 135 games with the Vikings, he had 534 catches for 6682 receiving yards and 55 touchdown catches. Thielen is third all-time in Vikings history in touchdown catches. He is only behind Hall of Famers Cris Carter of Troy, Ohio (110), and Randy Moss of Rand, West Virginia (92). Thielen was selected to the Pro Bowl while with the Vikings in 2017 and 2018. In 2024 with the Panthers, Thielen had 48 catches for 615 receiving yards and five touchdowns.