The Minnesota Vikings will have to wait a bit longer for a resolution to third-year wide receiver Jordan Addison’s legal troubles stemming from his 2024 arrest and citation for driving under the influence in Los Angeles.
Addison, the No. 23 overall pick of the 2023 draft, is the Vikings’ No. 2 WR behind Justin Jefferson.
The sooner both sides can put this behind them, the better.
“Vikings WR Jordan Addison’s jury trial stemming from his 2024 DUI citation remains set for today in Superior Court of California. Addison has pleaded not guilty,” ESPN’s Kevin Seifert reported on X on July 15 before updating that, “Online records show that Jordan Addison now has a hearing scheduled for Thursday.”
Addison’s availability is in question as the matter gets resolved. Addison and the Vikings open the 2025 regular season on the road against the Chicago Bears on “Monday Night Football.”
Addison is heading into Year 3 of a four-year, $13 million rookie scale contract. He will be extension-eligible in 2026, when the Vikings must also decide on his fifth-year option.
Addison could not discuss his arrest in detail, but he did express contrition.
“I know everybody going to have some questions about what happened a few weeks ago. If I was ya’ll, I would too. But I was told by my attorney and my agent that I couldn’t really answer too many questions on it,” Addison told reporters in July 2024. “I’m just blessed to be here in front of you guys.
“I’m not sure what’s going on [discipline-wise]. But I own up to whatever it is. Any disciplinary actions that come my way, I’m going to stand tall, face it, get through it, and shake back.”
The uncertainty has drawn dubious attention to Addison and the Vikings
Lawyers Weigh In on Jordan Addison Situation
Getty| Jordan Addison #3 of the Minnesota Vikings looks back during a game against the Atlanta Falcons.
Police arrested Addison in July 2024 after the Vikings star was found asleep behind the wheel outside of Los Angeles International Airport. His case has seen multiple dates already, with multiple dates set absent a decision.
The latest change raised eyebrows for Football Guys’ Drew Davenport.
In addition to being a fantasy football analyst, Davenport is a defense attorney, noting he has practiced in the field for more than two decades.
“The website now shows a PRETRIAL date for Thursday in the Jordan Addison case,” Davenport posted on X on July 15. This suggests to me that perhaps there were some last minute negotiations, or there were still issues related to discovery or motions that weren’t settled.”
Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio noted that Addison could face discipline from the NFL.
“He’s accused of driving under the influence of alcohol, and of driving with a blood-alcohol concentration in excess of the legal limit of .08 percent,” Florio, who was a lawyer for 18 years, wrote on July 15. “Both charges are misdemeanors. The related complication comes from the NFL’s substance-abuse policy. Baseline punishment for first offense DUI is a three-game suspension.”
“And the suspension is in play even if there’s any outcome reflecting responsibility — conviction, guilty plea, no contest, diversion program, deferred prosecution, etc.”
Vikings In Noteworthy Position With Jordan Addison
Getty| Jordan Addison #3 of the Minnesota Vikings looks on before a game against the Seattle Seahawks.
Addison was also arrested shortly after the 2023 draft, and Vikings head coach Kevin O’Connell has taken heat for the number of off-field issues the organization has faced under his and general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah’s watch.
This situation stands out, given 2024 fourth-round pick Khyree Jackson’s death last year.
“If it’s alcohol, certainly given the Kyrie Jackson stuff – and just given the nature of it in general – yeah, I think the precedent for that is three games, and the optics of it, obviously, are really bad at the moment,” the Star Tribune’s Ben Goessling said on “The Paul Allen Show” in July. “You don’t want people driving under the influence of anything. And falling asleep at the wheel, not good at all.”
O’Connell did express disappointment about Addison’s arrest. However, doubts over O’Connell’s disciplinary style were prevalent after Addison’s latest legal issue.
“Why would it be shocking that players wouldn’t respect anything when it comes to their off-field activity if there’s no consequences whatsoever?” Matthew Coller said on “Purple Insider” in July. “If you never have consequences to any of the actions that happen off the field, why would anyone respect that?”
The Vikings could face additional scrutiny about how they handle Addison due to how they have handled other issues. They did suspend offensive coordinator Wes Phillips for three weeks without pay for his DWI arrest in December 2023.
