In February, neither Bryce Young nor Adam Thielen knew they were destined to become teammates. That didn’t stop Young from seeking out Thielen in Ariaonz and paying the proper respect to an established player.
“I was with my wife at the Adidas suite, hanging out there for a little bit,” Thielen told TheAthletic.com. “Super Bowl week, there’s a lot going on. People everywhere, seeing guys you know and have relationships with, and doing a lot of interviews and media stuff. [Young] kind of just came up to me and said how much respect he had and he loves my game and things like that. It just kind of shocked me. He didn’t have to do that. For him to go out of his way to say those things just showed how mature and respectful he is as a person, which is really cool.”
As Thielen has gotten to know more about Young, Thielen has become even more impressed.
“You see all the highlight plays and you hear about how smart he is and his processing ability,” Thielen said. “But when you meet him as a person, you understand how mature he is for his age and how respectful he is and his knowledge of the game. It really impresses you. And now getting to know him a little bit through the process and his top-30 visit, just really excited now to get on the field with him.”
They’ll now move forward as teammates, with Thielen playing a key role in helping Young make the transition to NFL quarterback.