Purple Rumor Mill: Jordan Addison’s Punishment, Jaren Hall as a Trade Candidate, Kwesi and Kevin
VikingsTerritory’s Purple Rumor Mill is a two-day chronicle each week. All the week’s Vikings rumors are lassoed and plopped in two spots — articles on Saturday and Sunday — for review. Today is the August 10th edition.
Purple Rumor Mill: Jordan Addison’s Punishment, Jaren Hall as a Trade Candidate, Kwesi and Kevin
Remember — rumors are rumors. What you read on weekends in these pieces is what the world is talking about pertaining to the purple team, not necessarily items that will come to fruition.
Here’s the first batch of the week. All past rumors can be read here.
Rumor: Jordan Addison’s court date is October 7th, but thereafter, he will likely face a three-game suspension from the NFL.
After about 3.5 weeks of wondering about the details of Jordan Addison’s arrest, specifics emerged this week, courtesy of the Star Tribune.
According to ST’s Ben Goessling, alcohol was indeed a factor in Addison’s arrest. “Addison was charged on July 31 with driving under the influence of alcohol, and driving with blood-alcohol content over California’s legal limit of .08 percent, after officers found him asleep behind the wheel of a white Rolls-Royce blocking lanes of a highway near the airport,” Goessling wrote Monday.
If Addison is found guilty, he’d likely face a three-game suspension by the NFL.
Goessling added, “He has an Oct. 7 appearance in Los Angeles court to be arraigned and enter his plea for the charges. If he is convicted or pleads guilty, he could face up to six months in jail, pay fines up to $2,000 or lose his driver’s license for up to six months.”
And because of the timing — the October 7th court date — the would-be suspension will occur midseason 2024 or to start the year in 2025.
Either way, it’s probably coming.
Rumor: Jaren Hall could be traded if the Vikings keep Nick Mullens as the “other backup” instead.
Bleacher Report created this one.
BR’s David Kenyon outlined five quarterbacks that teams should pursue at the moment, and Hall rounded out his list. “Jaren Hall is facing a rough situation on the Minnesota Vikings’ depth chart. The team picked up Sam Darnold on a one-year contract in free agency, then drafted JJ McCarthy in the opening round,” Kenyon wrote last Sunday. “Neither of them is leaving the Vikings in 2024. Unless the Vikings shockingly decide to keep four QBs on the roster, one of Jaren Hall or Nick Mullens must go.”
Most believe Hall will end up on the practice squad, where the Vikings will hope no team steals him for its active roster.
“The value coaches place on system knowledge can never be discounted, though, so Mullens might end up being the Vikings’ pick anyway. Hall is a perfect candidate to develop into an infuriating-to-everyone-else solid reserve on a quality team,” Kenyon continued. “Sit as a third-stringer in 2024, and kick out a current backup next offseason. This sounds like a job for Andy Reid and the Kansas City Chiefs—or the Raiders, even as that’s not as glamorous.”
Hall’s trade value is unclear and not mentioned by BR, but Minnesota would probably receive a late-round draft pick if any deal came to fruition.
If Hall hits the Vikings practice squad, a team also has a chance to steal him for free.
Rumor: General manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah and head coach Kevin O’Connell won’t be extended this season, the third year of their contract(s).
Adofo-Mensah and O’Connell have two years remaining on their existing contracts — but some onlookers wanted to know if the duo would be extended a year in advance.
After comments from Vikings co-owner Mark Wilf on Tuesday, the answer seems like no, as the executive may want to see the team’s trajectory after this season before taking the plunge. “We’re focused on the season ahead,” Wilf replied when asked about extensions for Adofo-Mensah and O’Connell. He also made it abundantly clear that he was happy with the team’s direction.
Wilf said about extensions specifically: “It’s not something we’re talking about at this point.”
It might be a little strange for Minnesota’s ownership to extend Adofo-Mensah or O’Connell now. Conventional logic suggests it will want to see how the 2024 draft class pans out or at least get a drop on McCarthy’s staying power in the sport.
And that sounds exactly like what will play out.
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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 MIN 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.
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