The Minnesota Vikings have been proving much of the NFL universe wrong all season, and wide receiver Jordan Addison had his moment after the team’s Week 14 win over the visiting Atlanta Falcons.
Addison produced arguably the best game of his young career on Sunday, December 8, hauling in 8 catches on 12 targets for 133 yards and 3 TDs. Following the victory, which brought Minnesota to 11-2 on the season, Addison joined quarterback Sam Darnold for the postgame interview with the NFL on Fox broadcast team.
Addison took the opportunity to set the doubters straight after what has been a somewhat tumultuous campaign for the second-year wideout.
“I would just say outside of football, this is just a tight-knit group. I feel like that’s what helps me come out of my shell on game day,” Addison said before responding to a question about his relationship with Justin Jefferson and their place as a receiver duo in the league.
“We just get open. We get open for Sam, he throws great passes and the rest is history — we just do our thing,” Addison continued. “I told [Jefferson] at the draft this was gonna be the best duo [in the NFL]. I don’t know if ya’ll remember, you’re gonna have to pull it back up, though.”
Jordan Addison Dealt With Arrest, Injury During Early Part of Season
Things got off to a bumpy start for Addison in mid-July, just a couple of weeks ahead of training camp, when West Los Angeles police arrested him under suspicion of DUI after officers found the receiver sleeping in the driver’s seat of a vehicle blocking one lane of interstate traffic just outside of Los Angeles International airport.
Addison told members of the media later that month that he had been in “a dark place” at the time and has since pleaded not guilty to two charges of DUI in the state of California, both of which are classified as misdemeanors.
The 22-year-old then dealt with an ankle injury through much of the preseason, which resurfaced during the opening game of the year against the New York Giants. Addison exited that contest with the injury and sat out the next two games while he rehabilitated it.
Jordan Addison Has Come on After Slow Start to Campaign
Addison’s absence likely impacted his chemistry with Darnold, which led to a slow start for the wideout when he did return to action in Week 4. It wasn’t until November 24 against the Chicago Bears that Addison eclipsed 5 receptions in a game, and he’d only surpassed 3 catches in a contest once all year up to that point.
Fans and media members speculated that Addison may want out of Minnesota after he made posts to social media that included the hashtag “Free 3” in some of the captions. He wears the No. 3 for the Vikings. However, Addison shut those rumors down during an press conference on October 28.
“[That is a] saying I be saying and [expletive],” Addison explained. “I came up with that — I think it was camp … when I was at Pittsburgh. So that’s where [it] started at, and I just been saying that. If y’all go back down my [Instagram], y’all will see it. I say it in all my captions, so — people just try to make something out of anything.”
Over the past three games Addison has gotten back to looking more like the rookie who tallied 911 yards and 10 TDs on 70 catches in 2023. He caught 8 passes for 162 yards and a score against Chicago before his big game vs. Atlanta on Sunday.
Addison has now hauled in 44 catches for 708 yards and 7 TDs on the year with four games remaining and could threaten, or surpass, both his receiving yards and touchdown totals from his rookie year.
