Sep 14, 2023; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Minnesota Vikings wide receiver Jordan Addison (3) runs for a touchdown after a catch against the Philadelphia Eagles during the third quarter at Lincoln Financial Field. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports.
The Minnesota Vikings selected Jordan Addison with their first-round pick this past April in hopes of pairing him alongside Justin Jefferson to create an elite wide receiver duo. Unfortunately, we were robbed of that for most of the year, but with one final game, an opportunity remains.
Although the Vikings had plenty of holes to fill this past offseason, it was clear that Justin Jefferson needed a running mate. With Adam Thielen moving on and K.J. Osborn yet to establish himself as a true number two, taking pressure off the game’s best was a must. Jordan Addison flashed well at USC, and Minnesota pounced when he was available at their pick.
The Vikings saw Jefferson go down against the Kansas City Chiefs, and although the severity of his hamstring injury wasn’t immediately known, they knew someone had to step up. T.J. Hockenson had already been acquired last season in order to provide Kirk Cousins with additional pass-catching options, but this was Addison’s time to shine.
Addison had a lackluster performance in Chicago against the Bears in the first week without Jefferson, but he had his coming-out party the following week. Coming in as underdogs in primetime at home, the Vikings didn’t seem to have much of a shot against the San Francisco 49ers. Addison thought little of that narrative and turned 10 targets into 123 yards and a pair of touchdowns. It was the first century mark game of his career, and he continued to find the end zone for Kevin O’Connell.
The last eight games have not gone nearly as well for Addison, and that is a direct reflection of tumultuous quarterback play following a season-ending injury for Cousins. After reaching the end zone seven times in his first eight games, Addison scored just twice in his last eight, and both came in the same game against Cincinnati. Removing Cousins from the Vikings roster has been a death sentence for plenty of the skill position players, and watching both Nick Mullens and Josh Dobbs fail to find consistency has been tough.
Even with unfortunate circumstances around him, Addison has experienced a wildly successful rookie year. With 854 yards and nine touchdowns to his credit, he has proven to be every bit of the alternative option that Minnesota sought to find. It remains unlikely that he will surpass the 146 yards needed to reach 1,000 on the year, but this is a great building block for him to utilize as he settles into what is hopefully a long career.
Minnesota planned to pair Cousins with elite options when they started this season, and we never truly got to see that in action. Health for everyone involved would be a great development in 2024, but a reunion with Cousins could show us what we missed out on for much of 2023.
Regardless of who is throwing Addison the ball next year, it’s beyond clear that the youngster has plenty of talent to be a difference-maker in this league. Despite being a high-round pick, that isn’t always given, and seeing the Vikings get it right with wideouts twice in a row is a very nice development.
Ted Schwerzler is a blogger from the Twin Cities that is focused on all things Minnesota Twins and Minnesota Vikings. He’s active on Twitter and writes weekly for Twins Daily. As a former college athlete and avid sports fan, covering our pro teams with a passion has always seemed like such a natural outlet.