CHARLOTTE — Adam Thielen has been doing this for a long time.

So at this point, he has his routine down.

He works out in a way that he's found works for him, fine-tuning with his trainer as he goes, but mostly, he's developed a pattern. This time of year, there's a little golf (he's playing in the American Century Celebrity Golf Championship Tournament at Lake Tahoe again this weekend) and time with the family before the long grind of the season.

And once that starts, he knows he has to prove himself all over again, a lesson he shares with all the kids in his room.

"I think I talk to the young guys about this all the time, is no matter who you are, no matter how old you are, no matter how many years you've been in the league, you have something to prove," Thielen said. "And you have to have that mindset every single day, whether it's OTAs when no one's watching other than the coaches, or on Sundays when 60,000 people are watching, you have to have that same mindset that you're going to prove that you can play at a high level.

"And, you know, it doesn't change no matter how many years. When you're in years 10, 11, 12, you have to go out there and prove it, right?"

Thielen more than proved his value last season as the one reliable part in an offense that was mostly broken. He caught 103 passes for 1,014 yards and four touchdowns during his 33-year-old season after not having broken 75 receptions since 2018. The expectations were not for him to lead a team in the big-number categories, he was supposed to be the complement, but Thielen showed that he can still be relied upon.

He knows this year is different, though, and that change is the through-line of every story about the Panthers between now and the start of the regular season. A new head coach in Dave Canales, a new offense, and a new offensive coaching staff.

And even though he's the old head of his room, and even though he spent nine years in Minnesota before coming here, Thielen is accustomed to that kind of turnover each year — which may be why he attacks every offseason the same.

"Well, we're in the NFL. So there's never normal," he said with a laugh. "But yeah, I mean, I've had what, nine offensive coordinators in 11 years? So you just adjust. There's always change; that's the NFL, there's going to be change, there's going to be different things, there's going to be different communication, there's going to be different verbiage.

"And again, you just, every year, try to own it and try to figure it out and try to make it the best as possible. I think the biggest thing is organization, communication, and everybody being on the same page, right?"

That's been the task throughout the spring as Canales and Brad Idzik try to rebuild from the rubble of last year with a few new parts. Having a top-end receiver such as Diontae Johnson coming in a trade from Pittsburgh and a first-round pick in Xavier Legette should help (and should give opposing defensive coordinators something else to plan for). And the investments in the offensive line were made so that the passing game could find some kind of rhythm after Bryce Young absorbed 62 sacks last season (tying a franchise record and the sixth most in league history).

Last year was a struggle, so improvement is a low bar. But Thielen said as he looked back over the offseason, there were things to hang onto.

"It's the preparation, right?" he said. "I think that we are setting ourselves up to have success. Now, does that mean that we're going to have success on Day 1 or Week 10 or whatever? I don't know. But I will say that in my opinion, you always have to have the opportunity to have success. You have to have the preparation; you have to be set up to have success. And I feel like that's what we're doing right now.

"And there's a lot of reasons for that. It's organization, it's process, there is a clear understanding of what we're doing from the top down. And again, those are the things that set you up to have that success."

Again, those things sound good in May and June, and are easier to say. Once July rolls around and training camp begins, the picture will become clearer.

And when that happens, Thielen knows that last year — whether it was the team's struggle or his own success — will no longer matter.

"I think you realize that over the years, as you get more experience, you realize that you just have to do your job," Thielen said. "You can't let the outside factors, you can't let the inside factors — offensive strategy, whatever — you can't let that affect you. You have to just go and do your job, whatever they tell you to do, whatever route they run or tell you to run for how many yards, you to run it. You know what the quarterback says, you just go do it, and you do it to the best of your ability, and you figure it out as you go.

"In this league, there's always going to be distractions; there's going to be this, that, the other, and you just can't let those leak in and affect what you're doing."

That's why Thielen does things the same way — a way he's learned stands up to the test of time.