Aug 12, 2016; Cincinnati, OH, USA; A view of a Minnesota Vikings helmet at Paul Brown Stadium. The Vikings won 17-16. Mandatory Credit: Aaron Doster-USA TODAY Sports.
Put those Jordan Addison trade rumors to bed. They were never real.
Addison personally squashed any trade rumors linked to his name on Instagram this week, a few days after he captioned a photo with “FREE 3,” his personal motto since his collegiate days at Pittsburgh.
Folks interpreted “FREE 3” on an Addison photo as an impending trade request or sign of disgruntlement, and they were wrong. Addison posted a picture of himself at Pittsburgh using the same phrase — Free 3 — and it would’ve been impossible for him to be traded from his college team.
It’s just the guy’s motto. Plain and simple.
Addison specifically responded to The Nightcap Show, hosted by former NFLer Shannon Sharpe, telling Sharpe to do his homework about the origin of his saying. “FREE 3,” per Addison, is a slogan to “let him loose” or get him the ball — similar to an athlete saying or tweeting LFG — not a demand to leave an organization.
ProFootballTalk’s Mike Florio led the charge after Addison’s FREE3 Instagram post, stirring the pot to suggest he would be traded. “If anything, the Vikings will be buyers and not sellers at the upcoming trade deadline. That hasn’t stopped one of their best young players from sending a social-media message that has sparked speculation he’d like a fresh start,” Florio wrote last weekend.
“Second-year receiver Jordan Addison has posted a photo of himself in uniform on Instagram, with the caption: ‘Free 3.'”
Apparently, Addison would just like the ball more frequently, an ordinary request from a wide receiver and one most fans understand — and endorse. Addison is that dynamic.
Florio added while acknowledging that Addison’s teammate, Mekhi Blackmon, smacked down the trade rumor: “That lit the fuse. The photo remains. Teammate Mekhi Blackmon, who also played with Addison at USC, posted in response to a tweet suggesting Addison wants out, “No tf he not.”
“Regardless, the photo and the caption haven’t changed. And the current generation of athletes knows (or should know) how certain things will be interpreted,” Florio concluded.
Addison even wore the FREE3 chain when the Vikings drafted him a year and a half ago — and he very vividly was not looking for a trade that day or any since.
The young wideout has logged 23 receptions for 231 yards and has banked a couple of touchdowns this year. He missed two games to injury earlier in the season, and his current pace is 561 receiving yards — a downgrade from his 911 yards last year and 10 touchdowns as a rookie in 2023.
Perhaps Minnesota will “free” him soon and up those numbers. He’ll get a chance, at least, because, well, he won’t be traded. He never asked for anything of the sort in the first place.
Dustin Baker is a political scientist who graduated from the University of Minnesota in 2007. Subscribe to his daily YouTube Channel, VikesNow. The show features guests, analysis, and opinion on all things related to the purple team, with 4-7 episodes per week. His Vikings obsession dates back to 1996. Listed guilty pleasures: Peanut Butter Ice Cream, ‘The Sopranos,’ Basset Hounds, and The Doors (the band). He follows the NBA as closely as the NFL.
All statistics provided by Pro Football Reference / Stathead; all contractual information provided by OverTheCap.com.