A lot of attention was given to Minnesota Vikings star wide receiver Justin Jefferson this offseason. His contract situation was a major headline, but fellow wide receiver Jordan Addison is making waves of his own.
When opponents game plan for the Vikings, Jefferson is the focal point of their attack. But, they are going to have to start including Jordan Addison more in 2024 and beyond.
According to Alec Lewis of The Athletic, it is the former Pittsburgh and USC product who is turning heads this offseason at workouts. He had some high praise for the Vikings No. 2 receiver in a recent post.
“Jordan Addison is quite capable of extreme torture on defenses,” said Lewis. (H/T The Cold Wire)
The No. 23 overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft, Jordan Addison was the fourth wide receiver off the board, as all four were selected in a row. But, out of that group, the 2021 All-American and Biletnikoff Award winner produced the most.
As a rookie, he played in all 17 games, starting 14 of them. He caught 70 of his 108 targets for 911 yards and 10 touchdowns. At times, he was the team’s No. 1 receiver as Jefferson and tight end T.J. Hockenson battled injuries.
Those are strong numbers for a rookie, but even more impressive when taking into account the circumstances he faced. The Minnesota Vikings started four different quarterbacks last season.
Kirk Cousins, who signed with the Atlanta Falcons this offseason, started eight before tearing his ACL. Joshua Dobbs started four games but was ineffective. Nick Mullens started three, going 0-3, and Jaren Hall started the last two.
He will be catching passes from a new quarterback again in 2024. The Minnesota Vikings signed Sam Darnold in free agency and picked Michigan quarterback J.J. McCarthy with the 10th pick in the 2024 NFL Draft.
But, confidence should be high that Jordan Addison will continue producing at a high level regardless of who is starting. If he can find success with Dobbs after he was with the team a few days, an entire offseason working with Darnold and McCarthy is more than enough to get on the same page.
Even with his emergence, Jordan Addison is the second or third option opponents will be game-planning for. That is something he can take full advantage of, as a big Year 2 in the NFL could be on the horizon.
