Vikings Find ‘Unguardable’ Weapon in Joint Practices
Minnesota Vikings’ joint practices with the New England Patriots at TCO Performance Center are in full swing, with a follow-up preseason game on the way Saturday.
A surprising Vikings weapon has been labeled “unguardable” during joint practices with the Patriots, sparking excitement about his role in the offense.
Starters are doing battle in joint practices, whereas Saturday’s exhibition tryst will feature mostly second, third, and fourth-stringers.
And fans won’t see wide receiver Jordan Addison this weekend, but he has made his mark so far in joint practices.
A Stud Emerges for Vikings at Joint Practices
Addison continues to build rapport with quarterback J.J. McCarthy
Jordan Addison Called “Unguardable” at Vikings Joint Practices
The word on the street — the field — is that Addison is standing off the page against the Patriots, a club that features oodles of former Vikings, including Stefon Diggs, Joshua Dobbs, and Garrett Bradbury.
The Athletic‘s Alec Lewis tweeted Wednesday, “Also, for the record, Jordan Addison was unguardable today.”
“J.J. McCarthy just rips the hell out of these in-breakers to Jordan Addison. Money every time,” Lewis added.
Pull up any footage of joint practices on social media or YouTube, and Lewis’ observation can be confirmed. It’s the Addison show in Eagan.
A Bittersweet Announcement
An unguardable Addison versus the Patriots is the very definition of bittersweet. It’s music to the ears of Vikings fans that Addison is slicing and dicing an impressive New England defense, and no one is upset about it.
However, Addison won’t play in the regular season’s first three games, suspended by the NFL for a “wet reckless” driving charge in California, which is a DUI-adjacent offence that Addison personally manufactured in the summer of 2024. While Addison may be unguardable in August, he’ll be mostly unavailable to Minnesota in September. Bittersweet.
Not a Contract Year … but a Contract Year
Meanwhile, Addison’s unguardability is showing up at the perfect time — for his pocketbook. Minnesota controls Addison’s contractual rights through the end of 2027, but as soon as next February and March, the conversation will shift to an Addison extension.
One can bet he will demand $30+ million per year via his next contract, and if his 2025 performance is robust, in addition to naughty factors like his suspension, general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah will have quite the decision to make.
Adofo-Mensah may not get down to brass tacks in locking down an extension until the spring of 2027, but the discourse will begin next offseason.
Life without Addison during the Suspension
The Vikings will need at least one man, hopefully two, to emerge with Addison on the shelf. That mission became more complicated last weekend when newcomer wideout Rondale Moore injured his knee, but Minnesota still has Justin Jefferson, Jalen Nailor, Lucky Jackson, Jeshaun Jones, and Silas Bolden, among others, hungry to mask Addison’s unavailability.
Adofo-Mensah could also trade for a player like Adam Thielen (Carolina Panthers) or Trey Palmer (Tampa Bay Buccaneers). The free-agent market, too, contains names like Amari Cooper, Gabe Davis, and Tyler Boyd.
Some have also banged the drum for Odell Beckham Jr.
The Case for OBJ?
Sans Addison from Week 1 to 3, Minnesota may get creative at wide receiver. PurplePTSD.com‘s Janik Eckardt uplifted the case for Odell Beckham Jr. this week.
He explained, “OBJ is clearly no longer the electric weapon he was a decade ago, when he was one of the elite receivers in football, posting all-time numbers to start his career. Last year, he played in nine games with the Dolphins, catching only nine passes for 55 yards.”
“In the season prior, he played 14 games with the Ravens, resulting in 35 catches for 565 yards and three touchdowns. In 2022, he didn’t play all year, as he was recovering from his second torn ACL, which he suffered in the Rams’ Super Bowl. Vikings fans might remember who was on that coaching staff: Kevin O’Connell, the reigning Coach of the Year and Minnesota’s skipper in his fourth year.”
Beckham recently tweeted that he won’t retire this season. He has more left in the tank.
Eckardt continued, “Relationships matter in the NFL, and O’Connell could call his old pal and convince him of a reunion. The 32-year-old is no game-changer anymore, but he offers reliable hands and could slide into a WR3 or WR4 role, depending on how much he has left in the tank. Throughout his career, OBJ has played 119 games for the Giants, Browns, Rams, Ravens, and Dolphins.”
“In those years, he collected 7,987 receiving yards and 59 receiving touchdowns. The other big-name free agent is Amari Cooper, who was explosive with the 2023 Browns but struggled to get going with the 2024 Bills. It wouldn’t be surprising at all if the purple squad added another reliable pair of hands.”
On the whole, Vikings fans can take solace in knowing that Addison will be unguardable — when he returns from his suspension.
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