It was no surprise Tuesday when the news came down that the NFL was suspending Jordan Addison for three games for violating the league's Substances of Abuse Policy. Vikings head coach Kevin O'Connell admitted as much, but reiterated his belief in Addison and his ability to live up to the standards the organization has in the star receiver.
"The important thing to remember is this has been a pretty lengthy [process]. ... Jordan's well aware the standard that he's been living up to. He's done a phenomenal job of, not only this camp but before that, continuing to understand. He's taken full accountability with that suspension becoming official," O'Connell said Wednesday in his first comments since the suspension was announced. "Jordan's daily, weekly, and continued presence in our organization is a very positive one. He knows that that's my expectation."
Addison, 23, pleaded no contest to a lesser charge, resolving a July 2024 DUI incident in California. It was his second driving related offense in as many offseason, following a July 2023 misdemeanor speeding charge after he was cited going 140 mph on a Minnesota freeway.
Since the 2024 incident, Addison has remained quiet off the field. O'Connell is taking that as a sign of growing maturity for the former first-round pick.
"There's been a level of maturity," said O'Connell when asked about Addison's growth since the incident. "This was, I don't know how old he was down to the day, but this was a young player when we got him. He's a guy that has an absolute heart of gold and loves his teammates. We get to see him in the moments here on the grass, in the meeting rooms with his teammates where, quite honestly, he's always at his best. Where I've really seen the growth in Jordan is away from the facility, in how he prepares his body. He's got such a mindset for where he wants to go in his career and he knows it's all a part of it."
Addison will now miss the team's first three games of the season, which will be the first games with 2024 No. 10 overall pick J.J. McCarthy as the team's starting quarterback. Not having Addison for a short while to open the season is something O'Connell and the Vikings' coaching staff has been preparing for.
"Although it was announced, we've kind of been aware that this was a possibility. So, we've had a competitive camp in place for the rest of the depth of that room," said O'Connell.
While Justin Jefferson and Addison have the top two WR spots locked down, Minnesota has had a healthy camp battle elsewhere in the wide receiver group at training camp. Jalen Nailor is expected to take the WR2 mantle in Addison's absence, with the likes of Lucky Jackson and Rondale Moore expected to take up the temporary WR3 spot.
"We just got to play good football. We got to do the things that good offenses do, as far as pre-snap and post-snap," O'Connell said when discussing his expectations for the offense in Addison's absence. "We will be answering some of those questions, as far as people on the outside might have of the guys down the roster. My anticipation is these guys will keep building on the camp they've had and we'll figure out exactly what that looks like going forward."
While he is looking forward to having his young receiver back, O'Connell emphasized that Addison needs to continue operate as he has over the past 12 months.
"Jordan's going to need to continue to operate the way he has, which has been exactly how we had hoped he would respond going back to when this initially took place," said O'Connell.
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