NFL Writer Reveals Possible Trade Destination for Jordan Addison
The Minnesota Vikings probably won’t trade Jordan Addison anytime soon, but if they do, The Athletic‘s Grant Cohn believes he could land with the San Francisco 49ers.
The rumor forces one question: Are the Vikings planning a reset at receiver?
Cohn posted a video to social media on Wednesday, mentioning a source who claimed the 49ers will be in the market for a big-name wideout and that they will have Addison in their sights.
San Francisco Evidently a Fit for Jordan Addison Trade
Addison to the 49ers will apparently become a thing in the rumor mill.
Cohn: 49ers May Target Addison
Cohn got the 49ers’ offseason started in style, advancing the Addison theory this week.
He said, “According to a source, the 49ers intend to be quite aggressive this offseason in terms of trades. They want to trade up in the draft, and they want to trade for a wide receiver. And the wide receiver they’re initially targeting in a trade is Jordan Addison of the Minnesota Vikings.”
“Addison is entering year four in the NFL, and the Vikings apparently don’t want to pick up his fifth-year option. They like Jalen Nailor, who’s going to be a free agent wide receiver on their team. They’d like to keep him, and since they’re not going to pick up Jordan Addison’s fifth-year option, they would be open to trading him.”
With respect to Cohn, his assertion about Nailor sounds like total fiction. Nailor has never consistently shown the chops for a WR2 role, and in fact, usually posts WR4 numbers. Assuming the Vikings will trade Addison “because they have Nailor” is quite the logic leap.
Brandon Aiyuk Gone
Why would the 49ers need a receiver like Addison? Well, the team’s WR1, Brandon Aiyuk, basically vanished. Battling an injury that he suffered in 2024, Lynch and Shanahan made it sound like Aiyuk disappeared without a trace.
“It’s safe to say he’s played his last snap with the Niners,” Lynch told reporters about Aiyuk on Wednesday.
Shanahan added, “It’s confusing for all of us. We still don’t understand it very well.”
NFL.com’s Nick Shook added context, “Aiyuk’s departure has been anticipated since the 49ers voided the 2026 guaranteed money in Aiyuk’s contract in late November, then placed the receiver on the reserve/left squad list in mid-December, ending a season that never began after Aiyuk spent the campaign on the physically unable to perform list due to a torn ACL suffered in 2024.”
“With the 49ers clear of $27 million in guarantees for 2026, they can move on from the receiver and avoid a massive dead cap hit, saving $6.3 million of his $14.6 million cap number via a post-June 1 release, per Over The Cap.”
The 49ers lost one of their top playmakers in Aiyuk. Now, they need a replacement for the long haul. Addison is just 23 years old.
Shook concluded, “Those seeking an explanation for the breakdown in the tumultuous relationship between Aiyuk and the 49ers received one Wednesday: Aiyuk inexplicably stopped coming into the team’s facility and communicating with them, according to Lynch and head coach Kyle Shanahan.”
The 49ers’ WR Corps with Addison
Let’s assume that Lynch and Shanahan are correct about Aiyuk’s vanishing act — and the 49ers find a way to obtain Addison from Minnesota. This is what a 2026 WR corps might look like:
- Jordan Addison
- Ricky Pearsall
- DeMarcus Robinson
- John Watkins
- Jacob Cowing
- Colton Dowell
- Junior Bergen
- Malik Turner
Jauan Jennings is scheduled to hit free agency. With those names above, one can see why San Francisco wants Addison: the firepower is limited, especially after George Kittle tore his Achilles tendon in the postseason and is facing a long recovery.
Vikings Unlikely to Part Ways
Generally speaking, like most offseason trade theories, trading Addison to San Francisco is unlikely to materialize. Indeed, the youngster has encountered too many brushes with the law, but his most recent transgression, a strange trespassing situation, ended with little fuss. Florida authorities dropped the charges, and Addison is suing for wrongful arrest.
The Vikings wouldn’t get 1st-Rounder for Addison, and anything less than that may not be worth the squeeze for a trade.
The only scenario in which trading Addison would be likely is if Minnesota acquires an expensive quarterback this offseason, like Kyler Murray, forcing general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah to cut spending elsewhere. Addison could be the first to go if top-dollar is spent on a quarterback.
The Buffalo Bills and New England Patriots are two other teams quietly twisting in the theoretical Addison trade rumor mill.
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