Adam Thielen reveals Patriots, Bill Belichick tried to trade for WR after 2018 season

The New England Patriots dominated the league during the prior decade. With Bill Belichick devising game plans and quarterback Tom Brady dissecting defenses, New England made five Super Bowl appearances and eight consecutive AFC Championship Game appearances from 2010 to 2019.

In the twilight of the Patriots dynasty, however, the team's receiving corps began to age. Tight end Rob Gronkowski was riddled with injuries after a decade of steamrolling defenders and elusive wide receiver Julian Edelman was nearing the end of his dynamic career. The Patriots still managed to put together one last championship season in 2018, which culminated with Brady lifting his sixth Lombardi Trophy in Super Bowl LIII.

In the following offseason, New England made several attempts to restock their depleted offense. The Patriots even attempted to trade for former Minnesota Vikings wide receiver Adam Thielen, despite the wideout yelling at Belichick on the sideline during a Week 13 matchup in the 2018 season.

Bill Belichick wanted to trade for Adam Thielen after heated exchange

During an appearance on "Pardon My Take," Thielen revealed how the heated on-field moment led to Belichick attempting to trade for the All-Pro wide receiver.

"We were losing at the time," Thielen explained. "I was frustrated, they were double-teaming me, I wasn't getting to do my thing. I'm a little bit hot-headed [and] I've had to work on [that] over my career."

Thielen took offense to Patriots safety Patrick Chung causing a game stoppage with an apparent injury after the Vikings narrowly converted a fourth-and-1 in the fourth quarter. The stoppage allowed the Patriots to review and challenge the play, and Thielen let Belichick know he didn't appreciate the Patriots' gamesmanship.

“I just kind of let [Belichick] know that I didn’t feel like that was the right thing to do, but it is what it is,” Thielen said. 

New England ultimately lost the challenge but won the game, 24-10. Belichick apparently didn't take offense to the on-field exchange with Thielen, as he apparently attempted to trade for him after the season.

“I believe going into that next offseason, [Belichick] had reached out to the [Vikings] about possibly trading for me, trying to get me to come there,” Thielen said. “So it must have been a good impression, he must have liked that kind of tenacity or competitiveness.” 

Thielen was far from the only wide receiver New England attempted to acquire around that time. By 2019, the Patriots offense was desperate for offensive weaponry.

New England whiffed on several draft picks, including 2019 first-round pick N'Keal Harry, and they failed to integrate free agent wide receivers into their offense. For one reason or another, free agent wideouts Demaryius Thomas, Eric Decker, Josh Gordon, and Kenny Britt didn't manage to find their place in New England.

The Patriots signed controversial wide receiver Antonio Brown in 2019, but his stay in New England only lasted one week. The following month, the Patriots acquired wide receiver Mohamed Sanu from the Atlanta Falcons in exchange for a 2020 second-round pick, but he didn't thrive in the Patriots offense either.