What initially reeked of hometown fantasy appears to have real legs.

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With the Vikings in search of options to fill what could be a depleted wide receiver room to open the regular season, the name Adam Thielen quickly floated around.

Hey, he and Kevin O’Connell crossed paths in Minnesota for the 2021 campaign. Thielen threw with J.J. McCarthy this summer. The veteran wideout — who turned 35 on Friday — spent the bulk of his career with the Vikings and, yes, he’s from here.

Such reunions are often wishful thinking from a local fanbase and rarely come to fruition. But this one might. ESPN NFL insider Adam Schefter posted on social media Friday that the Vikings have indeed inquired about Thielen. And, with Jordan Addison suspended for the first three games of the campaign and Jalen Nailor now dealing with a hand injury, Schefter suggested that Thielen “could wing up starting opening night for the Vikings.”

Pull your No. 19 jerseys out?

In his one season playing under O’Connell, Thielen pulled in 70 catches for 716 yards and six touchdowns. He went over the 100-catch, 1,000-yard thresholds in 2023 and tallied 615 yards and five scores in just 10 games last fall, another 1,000-yard pace over the course of a 17-game season.

Carolina’s room has suddenly become crowded with young, talented wide receivers the Panthers have invested draft stock to acquire. So the veteran’s path to playing time with the Panthers would be cloudier. That’s not the case in Minnesota, where a lack of depth receiving stepping up this preseason has left opportunity on the table.

There appears to still be gas in Thielen’s tank, and Minnesota could use it alongside Justin Jefferson when the Vikings’ season kicks off in Chicago on Sept. 8.

Time will tell if such a trade indeed takes place.