What Jordan Addison's three-game suspension means for the Vikings
The wide receiver's absence raises questions about the team's depth at wide receiver and whether the Vikings will look outside the organization for short-term help.
Just because Jordan Addison’s three-game suspension was expected doesn’t make Tuesday’s news hurt any less for the Vikings. The NFL announced the suspension as a result of Addison violating its substance of abuse policy in July 2024.
Addison, 23, will lose three game checks, but, more importantly, the Vikings will lose their No. 2 wide receiver and a guy that can do significant damage to defenses that are focused on making sure one of the NFL’s best, Justin Jefferson, doesn’t beat them.
Addison, who finished second on the Vikings last season with 63 catches for 875 yards and nine touchdowns, will miss the opener in Chicago and games against Atlanta and Cincinnati at U.S. Bank Stadium. Addison’s suspension begins in Week 1 of the regular season, meaning he’s permitted to participate in all training camp activities, including preseason games.
Here are some thoughts on what Addison’s suspension means for the Vikings.
Jefferson hasn’t practiced since leaving the field on July 24 because of a left hamstring strain that coach Kevin O’Connell called “very mild.” The Vikings aren’t going to take any chances with Jefferson aggravating the injury and the only thing O’Connell has been certain about is that his superstar will play on Sept. 8 at Soldier Field. Jefferson never plays in preseason games and it’s anyone’s guess when he will return to practice.
Jalen Nailor has been elevated to the No. 2 role behind Addison in camp and he figures to stay in that spot to begin the regular season. Nailor finished third among Vikings’ wide receivers last season with 28 catches for 414 yards and six touchdowns. But Nailor also had four drops, according to Pro Football Focus, including a third-down miscue with the Vikings trailing by four points in the fourth quarter of a Week 8 loss to the Los Angeles Rams. Nailor would have had a first down deep in Rams territory if he had caught Sam Darnold’s pass and it might have been a touchdown. Instead, the Vikings settled for a Will Reichard field goal to make it a one-point deficit in what became a 30-20 loss.
Nailor, a sixth-round pick in 2022 from Michigan State, is entering the final season of his rookie contract and potentially spending three games in Addison’s spot could be a big boost to his bank account. But first he must succeed in that role. J.J. McCarthy has attempted to connect with Nailor on at least two deep shots down the middle in training camp and both times the pass has fallen incomplete. These are tough, contested catches but they are the type of catches that need to be made. There’s a chance that Nailor is a very good No. 3 wide receiver and elevating him above that might be too big of an ask.