Jordan Addison Trade Rumor Mill Sped Up by Vikings Legend
The first thing that came to my mind when the Vikings hired General Manager Nolan Teasley was “oh, score!” The second thing was the thought of what it could mean for WR Jordan Addison.
Jordan Addison is going into the fourth year of his rookie contract, and the Vikings picked up his fifth-year option, extending their control over his contract through the end of the 2027 season. Obviously, teams are going to do this when they’re planning on committing long-term to a young player. However, the Vikings could still hypothetically deal Jordan Addison if they got swept off their feet by an offer from another franchise.
It can be hard to understand why the Vikings would want to do that, but let’s be honest: if Minnesota were to extend Addison, it’s likely going to come at or over the $30 million AAV number, depending on when the deal comes to fruition. Including Justin Jefferson’s $35 million AAV, and various other receiver contracts at that time, Minnesota is staring down the barrel of a $70 million-plus per-year receiver room. By the way, they are likely going to have to make a long-term commitment to Kyler Murray or J.J. McCarthy in the same time frame.
If Kyler Murray balls out this year, then Minnesota would have to come out with an offer of around $50 million AAV to keep him. They can’t tag Murray as his contract includes a no-tag clause. Whoever pays Murray, has to do so during the 2027 offseason. If that $50 million number sounds high, keep in mind that former Vikings QB Daniel Jones just signed a deal with a $44 million AAV with in Indy after starting only 13 games for them and tearing his Achilles tendon. Murray also has a more impressive background than Jones.
Recently, a beloved Vikings legend did no favors to those wanting the Jordan Addison trade rumors to die down.
Jordan Addison Trade Rumors Get Fueled by Ben Leber
Leber appeared on his own YouTube channel and discussed the very real possibility of Jordan Addison getting traded.
“I think it’s more realistic that he is traded. I just think that he’s due for a giant contract. If everything stops right now and you look at his his numbers and all that stuff, the only comp that we have out of his draft class is Jaxon Smith-Njigba. He just got a fat deal. Right now, I think he’s one of the best receivers in the league…
...Christian Watson just got 110 million. Jordan Addison has put up bigger numbers in three years than Watson has in four. If you told the Packers they could have one of those two guys for that money, I bet they’re walking over to Minnesota and swiping Jordan. So you’ve got to believe he’s in line for a lot of money. And the question is, do you want to be the Cincinnati Bengals, right? That’s a lot of money, you know? The Chiefs shipped off the [Tyreek Hill], you know, and kept Kelce around. Can you pay two weapons at that high of level?“
The answer is no. I don’t want the Vikings to pay both of these receivers.”
Jordan Addison Trade Makes Sense
Well, if you’ve tuned into any shows starring myself or read any of my articles, you’d know this is something I’ve been bringing up for a longtime. I’m not claiming this to be some original thought; however, it is a conversation that Vikings fans should get used to hearing whether they like it or not.
The finances around keeping Addison long-term are a major hindrance. Minnesota still needs to pay a QB, and have yet to see if this draft class is going to work out. If it doesn’t, they might have to go back to the approach of the Kwesi Adofo-Mensah era where you supplement your bad drafting with major expenditures in free agency. If there’s no money, you can’t do that. I didn’t even mention any extensions that need to be made elsewhere around the team.
This isn’t to say you should be mad if the Vikings extend Addison. However, it does come with a major opportunity cost.
