Thielen, a native of Minnesota who spent his first 10 NFL seasons with the Minnesota Vikings before joining the Panthers in 2023, put the trip together with quarterback Bryce Young. It was designed in part for Young to work with his receivers before training camp and to get to know them on a more personal level.

In the final three games last season, Panthers quarterback Bryce Young threw for 612 yards with seven touchdowns and no interceptions and ran for 100 yards and two touchdowns. His passing-efficiency rating was 111.6. Before those games, Young’s career passing-efficiency rating was 73.6.

The Carolina Panthers finished with five wins last year, but the season was a tale of two halves. The first half included a Bryce Young benching, and they went

Raheem Blackshear has handled kick returns every year since joining the Panthers in 2022, and last year was the primary kick and punt returner. But the additions of fourth-round running back Trevor Etienne and sixth-round receiver Jimmy Horn pushed Blackshear down the depth chart and likely put his chances of making the roster in jeopardy.

The 2021 Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback is entering his third season in the NFL and could be poised for a breakout year.

Bryce Young may have saved his career with his play down the stretch of the 2024 season. Now, though, there are questions to be answered for the Carolina Panthers. Young is the undoubted starter for the 2025 season, and Carolina will have to use the campaign to see exactly what they have in the former No. 1 overall pick.