Panthers’ Adam Thielen supports proposed stadium upgrades: ‘We probably have the worst facilities in the NFL’

The Carolina Panthers are planning $800 million in renovations to Bank of America Stadium. And good thing, because one of their top players, wide receiver Adam Thielen, admitted this week the team probably has “the worst facilities in the NFL” going into the 2024 season.

“I think they’re behind a little bit as far as facilities,” Thielen told The Charlotte Observer, in light of the Panthers’ proposed updates. “We probably have the worst facilities in the NFL right now, and I don’t think there is anybody who would argue that. But at the end of the day, it doesn’t matter. You gotta go play football, and you gotta go win games.

“So it’s nice to hear that,” Thielen continued, “the commitment to us as players and the coaching staff, ‘Hey, you guys are putting the work in, and we’re going to commit and provide you guys with better facilities and really give you the resources to go out there and win.’ So it’s exciting.”

Thielen’s remarks, and the Panthers’ proposed renovations, come two years after the franchise scrapped plans for construction of a new 245-acre practice complex in Rock Hill, South Carolina. Since then, the team has primarily held practices at an outdoor field next to Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte.

This spring, however, the Panthers took next steps toward developing expanded facilities, including an indoor fieldhouse, in Uptown Charlotte. The new proposals aim to modernize the stadium, which has been home to the Panthers since 1996, while upgrading the surrounding area.