Vikings Rumor Rundown: The Colts and Jordan Addison, Theo Jackson, Janarius Robinson
The Minnesota Vikings will get training camp underway in less than 10 weeks, and fans now know the full schedule, which kicks off in Minneapolis on September 13th against the Green Bay Packers. In the backdrop, VikingsTerritory is here for a peek at the current rumor mill.
Minnesota’s rumor mill has fresh angles involving a wide receiver, a safety, and a former draft pick.
Every weekend, we post two batches of rumors, and this is the first edition, with June right around the corner.
Three Vikings Angles Surface before Summer Camp
The Purple Rumor Mill for May 23rd, 2026.
Rumor: Jordan Addison makes sense as a trade candidate for the Indianapolis Colts.
FanSided‘s Jake Beckman identified one player per team to target via trade, and for Indianapolis, Addison evidently moved the needle.
He explained, “The Colts are in a very tough spot right now. IF (and that’s a big IF) Daniel Jones is healthy enough to play at the beginning of the season, he’s going to need his receivers to get open early and often. The problem is that right now, his wide receivers are Alec Pierce, Josh Downs, and Nick Westbrook-Ikhine.”
“That’s not remotely close to the caliber of a receiver room that they’re going to need… and there isn’t really anyone out there who is going to give that wide receiver room a shot of adrenaline. However, the Vikings did just sign Jauan Jennings.”
Any Addison trade fodder this offseason has been fan- or media-driven. There’s no credible intel to suggest a deal is in play.
Beckman added, “If they wanted to move on from Addison, who has had a litany of legal issues, they absolutely could. It’s unprecedented for a team to trade a player right after they exercise his fifth-year option, but this is a pretty unique situation that both teams are in.”
The problem? The Vikings probably aren’t trading Addison. They would’ve done that already this offseason.
Rumor: Theo Jackson could be released later this summer.
Bleacher Report‘s Moe Moton outlined a surprise cut candidate for each NFL team last week, and for the Vikings, Jackson got the treatment.
He explained, “Last season, Theo Jackson moved up on the Minnesota Vikings’ safety depth chart, playing 60 percent of the team’s defensive snaps. After a step forward in his development, Jackson may be less productive as the Vikings’ No. 3 safety.”
“He could lose his roster spot if rookie third-rounder Jakobe Thomas shows promising signs in the next phases of the Vikings’ offseason program.”
After Camryn Bynum departed for the Indianapolis Colts last offseason, the Vikings quickly designated Jackson as his replacement. Jackson played in 14 games, starting eight, where he accumulated 47 tackles, a forced fumble, and two quarterback hits. However, he also allowed a high passer rating of 131.5.
While Jackson finished the season with a 68.4 Pro Football Focus grade, Ward’s grade was slightly higher at 70.4. Furthermore, Brian Flores began relying more on Ward as the season concluded, indicating that Minnesota’s safety strategy could shift significantly in the upcoming season.
It’s worth noting that Jackson’s job could be in further jeopardy if Harrison Smith decides to return for Year No. 15.
Rumor: Janarius Robinson has a shot at becoming the newest New England Patriot.
Robinson could fire up his fifth NFL team in five years. NBC Sports‘ Josh Alper wrote Tuesday morning, “The Patriots will be checking out a potential addition to their defense on Tuesday. Ian Rapoport of NFL Media reports that defensive end Janarius Robinson will be working out for the team.”
“Robinson spent last season with the Chiefs, but he did not appear in any games after fracturing his foot in the offseason. Robinson was a Vikings fourth-round pick in 2021 and moved on to the Eagles in 2022, but spent most of both seasons on injured reserve.”
Through three months of free agency, Robinson has no known intrigue from EDGE-needy teams. That could change any day.
Do the Patriots need more EDGE assistance? From a role player and fringe roster bubble commodity like Robinson — likely not. Nevertheless, here’s a glance at Mike Vrabel’s outside linebackers at the moment.
- Harold Landry III
- Dre’Mont Jones
- Gaba Jacas
- Namdi Obiazor
- Bradyn Swinson
- Quintayvious Hutchins
- Jesse Luketa
- Xavier Holmes
If signed, Robinson would probably slide onto the depth chart behind Jacas, a 2nd-Round rookie, and above Obiazor, a 6th-Round rookie.
The Vikings drafted Robinson in Round 4 of the 2021 NFL Draft.
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