The Minnesota Vikings will be without one of their top wide receivers for the start of the regular season.
On Tuesday, wideout Jordan Addison was suspended without pay for the season’s first three games after pleading no contest earlier this offseason to a “wet reckless” charge. He was initially charged with DUI on July 12, 2024 and pleaded not guilty to those counts on Dec. 3, 2024.
In July 2023, he was also cited for speeding a reckless driving when going 140 mph in a 55 mph zone.
During his first two seasons, Addison, a 2023 first-round pick (No. 23 overall), has 133 receptions, 1,786 receiving yards (13.4 yards per reception) and 19 touchdowns. During that span, only Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase, Tampa Bay Buccaneers wide receiver Mike Evans and Detroit Lions wide receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown have more receiving touchdowns.
His absence is a blow to the Vikings offense, entering its first season with 2024 first-round pick J.J. McCarthy as the starting quarterback.
While McCarthy will still have arguably the NFL’s best wide receiver, Justin Jefferson, to throw to during the season’s first three weeks, Addison’s suspension severely compromises the team’s depth.
Jalen Nailor, a 2022 sixth-rounder, should be in line for an increase in playing time. Last season, he played a career-high 51 percent of his available offensive snaps, via Pro Football Reference.
Offseason free-agent signings Rondale Moore and Tim Jones, 2025 third-round pick Tai Felton and undrafted free agents Lucky Jackson and Silas Bolden could also be forced into more prominent roles.
Last season, Moore missed the entire year after suffering a training-camp knee injury with the Atlanta Falcons, while Jones had just three receptions on five targets for the Jacksonville Jaguars.
Felton and Bolden are rookies and might not be ready for heavy workloads, while Jackson is possibly having the best training camp of the group, recently making impressive plays on back-to-back days.
Regardless of who takes Addison’s snaps, the Vikings offense won’t be at full strength to begin the season. Opponents will be able to focus their attention on Jefferson with double-teams and force Minnesota’s unproven secondary and tertiary options to beat them.
It’s not an ideal set of circumstances for McCarthy as he preps for his regular-season debut, but the Vikings have no other choice than to make it work.
