CHARLOTTE — Adam Thielen knows, perhaps better than anyone, what hard work and dedication can do for a career and a life. It's why the veteran NFL receiver has committed to pouring into his community, helping inspire the next generation to find that same passion. Now, the community is thanking him in kind.

Thielen was named the Carolina Panthers nominee for the Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year Award on Thursday. The award recognizes an NFL player for his excellence on and off the field.

The Thielen family first moved to Charlotte in 2023, when the longtime Minnesota Vikings receiver signed as a free agent with the Panthers. Over the past two seasons, Thielen has made an impact as a trustworthy receiver and community member.

Thielen and his wife, Caitlin, first founded Thielen Foundation in 2018 in an effort to "help serve, educate and inspire those in need." Originally began with the intention of giving back to the Minnesota communities that had given so much to them, the foundation's efforts have now expanded to the Carolinas.

Thielen Foundation sponsors several programs, such as "ChangeThruSport," the Masonic Children's Hospital, Salvation Army Christmas, football camps, scholarships and more.

ChangeThruSport has provided, among other resources, weight rooms for local high schools in the Charlotte area. One of more recent weight rooms to receive an update courtesy of Thielen Foundation was Harding University High School in Charlotte.

"Knowing that Adam Thielen came here at Harding University of all schools to renovate our weight room, it was inspiring and motivating," said one of the students on hand for the opening of the weight room. "Coming in here now, it feels like a place where you can improve and grow."

Thielen attended college at Minnesota State University. He made it to the NFL after a rookie tryout with the Vikings. After spending his first season on the practice squad, Thielen worked his way onto the roster and became a two-time Pro Bowl receiver. He is tied with Calvin Johnson for the most consecutive games with 100-plus receiving yards, with eight.

He understands the value of not only working hard but outworking everyone around you for a foot in the door, then outworking yourself to stay there. Through Thielen Foundation, Adam Thielen is helping instill that attitude in the next generation.

"This is very similar to the spaces that I train in with my personal gyms that back home," Thielen said when presenting Harding University with their new weight room recently. "And the reason why I wanted to make it like that is because it creates an environment to really give you the best opportunity to become better.

"We want to provide a space that really gives them every opportunity to be great if they want to."

Thielen Foundation has helped renovate eight weight rooms between Minnesota and North Carolina. Adam Thielen's Receive to Achieve, presented by Sentara, will help the foundation renovate its ninth weight room. For every receiving yard No. 19, Adam Thielen, earns during the 2024-2025 season, Thielen Foundation will donate $19 towards a weight room renovation to a deserving school in Charlotte, NC. Thielen—who was forced to miss seven games this season with a hamstring injury—has 265 receiving yards thus far this season.

To date, Thielen Foundation has raised over $3.2 million to feed into programs supported by the foundation.

As a nominee, Thielen will wear a Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year helmet decal through the end of the season in recognition of his accomplishments on and off the field.

"As my kids get a little older and understand what's going on understand what's going on and why we're receiving an award. It's not an award for what I'm doing on the football field," Thielen said of the recognition as the Panthers nominee.

"It's an award of the impact (by) my family, our foundation, all the people that are involved and then the people that supported it here in a new community to us, have supported our foundation, have been really cool."

All 32 nominees will be recognized for their achievements during the week leading up to Super Bowl LVIII. The 2024 Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year winner will be announced during NFL Honors, a primetime awards special to air nationally on Fox on Thursday, Feb. 6.

Each nominee will receive up to a $55,000 donation, and the Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year award winner will receive a $250,000 donation to the charity of his choice. All donations are made possible by the NFL Foundation and Nationwide.