The Jordan Addison Rollercoaster Leaves Vikings Fans Split
The NFL trade deadline is November 4th this year. Just a little under a month away.
Many teams that are on one end or the other of the win-loss spectrum may fire up the phone lines and try to trade for players to boost their chances of reaching the Super Bowl or dump players and their salaries because their season is over, and they need to plan for the future.
Jordan Addison’s wacky saga has Vikings fans divided to an extent, as his highs and lows spark debate about his long-term role in Minnesota.
While these can be fairly bland trades, there are unique instances where they are truly shocking. Kwesi Adofo-Mensah has completed some trades in the past, reflecting both sides of the market.
His big splash trade was getting the Detroit Lions on the horn and trading for T.J. Hockenson, who was a top tight end in the league at the time. He quickly established a rapport with quarterback Kirk Cousins and had a great season, recording 60 receptions in the ten games he played with the Vikings, for a season total of 86.
The following year, he had 95 receptions with a carousel of quarterbacks and missed two games due to a major knee injury. If not for the injury recovery, last year may have been another stellar season with the trade looking better and better for the Vikings.
In 2024, the Vikings’ trades were not particularly splashy, as the only notable acquisitions were Nashon Wright from the Cowboys in a player swap with Andrew Booth and the yearly return of Cam Akers from the Texans. Neither trade set the world on fire, nor did it do too much to help or hurt the team at the time.
This year, a debate is brewing over the Vikings trading away a player who may have significant ripples within the team.
The Good with the Bad on Jordan Addison
Jordan Addison has faced some problems since joining the Vikings. In 2023, he was cited for reckless driving for traveling 140mph in a 55 mph zone on I-94, stating that his dog was having an emergency. Most attributed that to a young man needing to mature a bit more.
He had a great season, during which he had to take on the role of wide receiver when Justin Jefferson was injured. The following offseason, he unfortunately took his run-ins with the law to a new level. He was found sleeping in his vehicle, blocking a lane of traffic to the LA airport. He received a DUI charge that was later reduced to a “wet reckless” charge.
It was a terrible situation, not just because of the action itself, but it also coincided with the recent death of rookie Khyree Jackson, who was killed by a drunk driver about a week before that. While Addison went through the legal process most of last year, which culminated in the final charge during the offseason, he still needed to hear about discipline from the league.
The NFL handed down the anticipated three-game suspension for the 2025 season, which ended with Addison being available for the loss against the Steelers in Dublin, Ireland. The staff and fans knew it would be a struggle without him, especially with semi-rookie quarterback JJ McCarthy needing all the support he could get, becoming the starter after a year on injured reserve.
McCarthy and Addison actually got in sync with each other during training camp and the preseason, as Jefferson sat out with an injury. That had fans thinking that once he got back, the connection would heat up again.
Fast forward a few weeks, and McCarthy is injured with a high ankle sprain, and Carson Wentz, who wasn’t even in training camp, is the quarterback when Addison returned in week four. He has 9 catches in the two games he’s been back for 155 yards and a touchdown, which is a respectable start.
We all know what he can bring to the offense and how he complements Jefferson and Hockenson, making lanes open more often for everyone. The problem is staying out of the wrong side of the limelight. While he didn’t have any issues during his suspension or while in Ireland, he was suddenly not a starter in the London game.
If you were watching the TV broadcast, they didn’t even mention it until late in the game. Beat writers in the media eventually caught on, and we found out he was either late for or missed an entire walkthrough practice. The latter was the final reason Kevin O’Connell held him out of the 1st quarter on Sunday.
“He missed a walkthrough this week,” O’Connell said. “Those types of things aren’t in alignment with our standards and wanted to make sure he was held accountable for that. But at the same time, he knows that. I thought he handled it professionally. He spoke with the team to let them know that, whenever I give him the opportunity to go in the game, they can count on him and he makes the game-winning catch.”
That was another positive aspect, as he had 5 catches for 41 yards and the game-winning touchdown. Some would say it was redemption for the early benching, but for others, it reveals a pattern that may culminate in something worse in the future.
Should The Vikings Trade Addison?
This is now a major topic of discussion on social media following the latest event. Not one person, whether a verified reporter, fan blog, or any general user, will say that Addison isn’t talented and doesn’t form one of the better wide receiver duos in the league.
The team is significantly improved with him on the field, providing not only a strong complement to Jefferson but also a backup plan should Jefferson be lost due to injury. On almost any other team, he would be the number one receiver. In Minnesota, he is viewed as the rich getting richer at the position, having been drafted in the first round in 2023.
The problem arises if he is suspended or worse, as it may reveal that he has off-field issues that interfere with his ability to play. His contract discussions will start soon, and the Vikings might not want to tie themselves and their cap to a player who’s not there while also causing issues in the media.
What could the Vikings even get for him? Without the baggage of legal issues and missing practice, he would easily be a 1st round pick with some other compensation to follow. As it stands now, he should still garner a 2nd-round pick at least, as the highest mark.
If the Vikings were to trade him, they would have to justify it by showing how it helps with the salary cap, as they think he would demand too much in his next contract. They will also need to show that the compensation in return helps them in the draft. Wide receiver is considered to be one of the stronger positions in the 2026 NFL Draft.
The next problem is that it doesn’t help the team this season if all the compensation is for the future. Taking Addison out of this year’s mix doesn’t help any of the quarterbacks on the roster this year.
One consideration would be to trade him to a team that not only needs some help, but maybe also has a player that they need to part with. It would have to be either an impact player at any key position or another wide receiver to help fill the void.
Let’s use the Las Vegas Raiders as an example. The Raiders are currently projected to have a top 10 pick. That may be too rich for Addison concerning his issues, but maybe a high 2nd rounder will suffice with later round picks bandied about.
Another solution would be to trade for Jakobi Meyers, who asked to be traded back in August and is a solid wide receiver who already has 25 receptions this season without any touchdowns. He’s also scheduled to be a free agent for the Raiders after this season, which means they might look to get something from him leaving rather than nothing.
Addison would be a younger and more talented upgrade with some of his rookie contract still in place for two more seasons. It wouldn’t be a straight-up trade with Meyers and some draft picks coming back to Minnesota with him. Adding gravy to this is that he is traded outside the conference, so they might not get burned by him in a game.
The only way any style of trade looks like a genius move is if the Vikings improve this year without him. The rest is future-gazing, where Addison goes and encounters some more issues that further justify the move. Thus, making the front office look like geniuses for getting rid of a potential media nightmare and team chemistry dissolver.
The Team Philosophy
Look, none of us really know everything that the team knows or sees. This latest incident might not be as bad as we think, except that the team is taking a particularly strong stance due to his past indiscretions, or perhaps to show the players that they mean business. We know that O’Connell holds the team to a high standard, and character is a big key.
They also know not to give up on players too soon and cast them aside. The feeling I get is that they are working with him to straighten out his behaviors, with even Jefferson stepping up as a team leader.
Jefferson stated that he “had words” with Addison over the missed practice. “It’s just all about growing up and just being a part of the team and knowing the stakes. I’ve just got to do better keeping him under my wing, and making sure he has his head on straight”, Jefferson stated in a press conference.
It was good to hear a teammate stepping up as a leader instead of distancing himself from the issue.
No matter what the team decides to do in the next month, it will be debated. If Addison has another infraction, fans will be calling for a change sooner than the coaching staff. My hope is that he has learned from these incidents and is getting on the right path with the team.
I always try to remind myself and others that these are people whose lives we talk about because they live in the public eye for our entertainment. However, in the NFL, it eventually comes down to the business.
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