Vikings Have a Surprising Building Block
The Minnesota Vikings surely have some building blocks on the roster. Some of them were still drafted by the former regime led by Rick Spielman, and others have been acquired under the guidance of Kwesi Adofo-Mensah.
Vikings Have a Surprising Building Block
While there are some concerns on the defensive side of the ball, coordinator Brian Flores has to work his magic; the offense is stacked at every position. One guy earned a building block label from Bleacher Report.
Building Block Jordan Addison
BR’s Moe Moton named one building block from each team, but he excluded Pro Bowlers and All-Pros, and he also didn’t name any players on big-time contracts. Moton explained, “These players aren’t All-Pros or Pro Bowlers, and they’re all on rookie deals—some deserve a pay raise. Teams can build around these players as future cornerstones. For now, they’re up-and-comers who need to work on a few things or establish high-level consistency.”
That rules out annual accolade-getters like Justin Jefferson, and the contract clause ends the Christian Darrisaw discussion.
His pick for the Vikings is wideout Jordan Addison: “The Philadelphia Eagles have shown that it’s possible to build an offense around two wide receivers, even with their dominant ground attack. A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith eclipsed 1,065 receiving yards in 2022 and 2023. Minnesota Vikings wideouts Justin Jefferson and Jordan Addison could post similar numbers together.”
It’s undoubtedly a strength of the Vikings to have not only one but two excellent wideouts. Jefferson is perhaps the best in the business, and when it was time to get younger by moving on from Adam Thielen in 2023, the club found Addison in the first round.
“Jefferson has established himself as a star receiver, winning the 2022 Offensive Player of the Year award and earning two All-Pro nods,” Moton added. “Addison may not achieve those accolades, but he can stack 1,000-plus-yard receiving seasons.”
So far, Addison has not eclipsed 1,000 yards in a season, but he came reasonably close in both years.
“Already one of the league’s top No. 2 receivers, Addison has racked up 133 catches for 1,786 yards and 19 touchdowns in 32 contests.”
He has been one of the most productive WR2s in the league, and his numbers aren’t expected to decrease anytime soon, with pass-happy Kevin O’Connell calling the shots for years to come.
Moton concluded, “In all three of his seasons as Vikings head coach and offensive play-caller, Kevin O’Connell has fielded a top-six passing attack, which bodes well for Addison’s production outlook in a complementary pass-catching role.”
Addison arrived in 2023 and immediately took over the WR2 gig. When Jefferson had to watch from the sidelines with his hamstring injury, rookie Addison stepped up and became the top target for the QB carousel. Last year, he showed that he is a reliable weapon, and his highlight tape is one of the best in the NFL.
The one asterisk in an otherwise promising career is the pair of off-field driving-related issues. Last year’s incident could cost Addison a few games in the upcoming season due to a suspension.
Other Building Blocks
Two guys who would be allowed under Moton’s guidelines are Dallas Turner and J.J. McCarthy, last year’s first-rounders. The Vikings expect them both to be long-term difference-makers, but Turner has primarily been a rotational guy, while McCarthy hasn’t taken an NFL snap. Still, they might get the nod a year from now.
If we set Moton’s rules aside, the obvious choices are the aforementioned Jefferson and Darrisaw, who are among the very best in the league at what they do.
Another option is pass rusher Jonathan Greenard. He’s under contract for three more seasons, and his first one in purple led to him making the Pro Bowl as one of the most disruptive edge defenders in football.
Those five players are all signed through at least 2027. Furthermore, Addison is signed through 2026, but the team option puts him under team control through 2027, too.
Editor’s Note: Information from PFF, Over The Cap, and Sports Reference helped with this article.
The Vikings Competition Nobody Is Talking About