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Wide receiver Jordan Addison of the Minnesota Vikings.
The Minnesota Vikings have a group of offensive skill players that should make most other franchises around the NFL envious.
But as much as Justin Jefferson is a feared and eite playmaker, there is an argument that No. 2 wide receiver Jordan Addison is a more important piece of the roster given his positional value in comparison with either second pass-catchers around the league.
Moe Moton of Bleacher Report compared the duo of Jefferson and Addison to Philadelphia Eagles wideouts A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith on Saturday, July 5, dubbing Addison the “most promising building block” on Minnesota’s roster.
Jefferson has established himself as a star receiver, winning the 2022 Offensive Player of the Year award and earning two All-Pro nods. Addison may not achieve those accolades, but he can stack 1,000-plus-yard receiving seasons. Already one of the league’s top No. 2 receivers, Addison has racked up 133 catches for 1,786 yards and 19 touchdowns in 32 contests.
In all three of his seasons as Vikings head coach and offensive play-caller, Kevin O’Connell has fielded a top-six passing attack, which bodes well for Addison’s production outlook in a complementary pass-catching role.
Jordan Addison Could Miss Multiple Games to Begin Season
GettyWide receiver Jordan Addison of the Minnesota Vikings.
Part of the key for Addison, who will play next season at 23 years old, will be remaining available to the team after some off-field issues over his first two professional campaigns.
Case in point, Addison could miss the first three games of the upcoming season due to disciplinary reasons.
“Addison has a July 15 trial as a byproduct of a DUI citation last summer. He could face a three-game suspension,” Alec Lewis of The Athletic reported on June 23. “This won’t catch the Vikings off guard. They’ve known this could be a possibility, and it places further emphasis on their need to run the football effectively. Justin Jefferson and T.J. Hockenson will serve as the primary targets, while Jalen Nailor’s role will increase. Rookie receiver Tai Felton could also see significant time during this span.”
Jordan Addison Crucial to Vikings Offense With Uncertainty at Quarterback
GettyWide receiver Jordan Addison of the Minnesota Vikings.
Addison is a former first-round pick, No. 23 overall in the 2023 draft, who won the Biletnikoff Award in 2021 as college football’s best receiver that season.
He played one more year in college before joining the Vikings on a four-year rookie deal worth $14 million that includes a fifth-year team option for the 2027 campaign.
His presence in the offense is all the more important given Minnesota’s uncertainty under center. Second-year quarterback J.J. McCarthy is likely to start for the Vikings in Week 1 after missing his entire rookie season due to a knee injury.
Fourth-year signal-caller Sam Howell is McCarthy’s backup QB heading into training camp, though he’s just 5-13 in 18 career starts with 22 TDs and 23 INTs over the course of his three-year career.
It is possible that the Vikings will bring in a veteran QB as an insurance policy against injuries and/or early struggles, though not before training camp begins later this month.
Max Dible covers the NFL, NBA and MLB for Heavy.com, with a focus on the Green Bay Packers, Minnesota Vikings, Chicago Bears and Cleveland Browns. He covered local and statewide news as a reporter for West Hawaii Today and served as news director for BigIslandNow.com and Pacific Media Group's family of Big Island radio stations before joining Heavy. More about Max Dible
