Report: Vikings Sign First-Round Pick Jordan Addison to 4-Year Deal
Last week, the Vikings went on a signing flurry, officially agreeing to contracts with four of their six draft picks. That left just first-round pick Jordan Addison and seventh-round pick DeWayne McBride unsigned from the 2023 Draft class, but on Wednesday, another of these dominos fell when Tom Pelissero of NFL Network reported that the Vikings had officially signed Addison to a four-year contract.
The deal is said to be the standard deal for a first-round pick with a fifth-year option in 2027. If it is a standard contract, it will be worth a total of $13.73 million over Addison’s first four seasons. The contract will also carry a cap hit of just under $2.5 million in 2023.
The Vikings could have gone in a number of different directions with their first-round pick, including trading down to acquire more capital. Instead, Minnesota opted to stick at No. 23 overall and take who they believed to be the best receiver on the board at the time in Addison.
The rookie receiver presumably will help fill the void left by Adam Thielen, who was released earlier this offseason and signed by the Carolina Panthers to a three-year contract worth $25 million. Thielen garnered 107 targets during the 2022 season with the Vikings.
Throughout his collegiate career, Addison was a focal point of the offense in both the Pittsburgh and USC programs. He spent his first two seasons of college football at Pittsburgh. With the Panthers and Kenny Pickett as his quarterback, Addison emerged into a star, particularly in 2021. During that season, he caught 100 passes for 1571 yards and 17 TDs.
Following those two seasons at Pittsburgh, Addison transferred to USC in 2022 where he wasn’t quite as productive on the boundary compared to when he played largely from the slot in 2020 and 2021, but he still put together a respectable year, catching 59 passses for 875 yards and 8 TDs.
Now, only McBride remains unsigned from the Vikings rookie class. Training camp is just over two months away, so the two sides have plenty of time to agree to a deal.
Josh Frey is a Class of 2020 graduate of The College of Idaho and managing editor of PurplePTSD.com. When he’s not writing about the NFL, Josh enjoys running, gaming, or rooting for the Milwaukee Brewers and Bucks. Check out his Twitter account: @Freyed_Chicken.