Vikings Confirm the Expected Move
It’s official between the Minnesota Vikings and wideout Jordan Addison: He’ll remain with the club through the 2027 season, as the franchise picked up his fifth-year option.
The Vikings wrote on their website, “The Vikings exercised the team’s fifth-year option on receiver Jordan Addison, the team announced Monday.”
Addison has been a foundational piece in Kevin O’Connell’s offensive unit since he was drafted in 2023. Justin Jefferson’s sidekick is the second option in the passing game and a playmaker in his own right.
Last month, acting GM Rob Brzezinski told the media at the league meeting that the organization would pick up the option. Brzezinski said, “He’s a really important player for us, an impact player. We’re definitely exercising the option. For sure. The deadline for that is after the draft.”
A man of his word.
Minnesota exercised Christian Darrisaw’s option in 2024 and handed him a lucrative long-term extension months later. A year earlier, the Jefferson sweepstakes followed the same blueprint. Those two, of course, are cornerstone franchise players. Addison, though a pretty good player, doesn’t quite reach that output on the field and has gotten himself into trouble off it.
The receiver has already missed three games due to a suspension handed to him for his second car-related incident. A January trespassing charge has been dismissed, but his third time landing in the news for off-field issues has left a bad taste in the mouths of many Vikings fans.
When he’s not suspended, Addison has been a sweet partner for Justin Jefferson. Playing in 46 games, Addison has caught 175 passes for 2,396 yards and 22 touchdowns and another 103 rushing yards and two touchdowns. Perhaps the most impressive aspect is that he has achieved those statistics with eight different passers. Kyler Murray could be number 9 this year.
Jefferson suffered a nagging hamstring injury in Addison’s rookie season and the first-year player showed his potential when he stepped into the WR1 role for nearly half the season.
On a per-game basis, he was even better in 2024, but he missed a couple of games with an ankle injury, making his numbers look worse on the surface. Last year was his least productive campaign, but the quarterback play certainly influenced that.
The Vikings could give Addison a long-term extension, but they can also ride it out until next year and monitor his off-field behavior. Lions receiver Jameson Williams signed for roughly $26.6 million a year. Addison could have comparable demands.
ESPN’s Kevin Seifert noted last month, “Brzezinski said last month that he envisioned the Vikings as a franchise that looks to ‘draft and develop and to retain our core, and supplement in free agency.’ That served as a reminder that teams don’t just use cap space on free agency, but also — and often more importantly — on signing their existing players to contract extensions. Right tackle Brian O’Neill and receiver Jordan Addison are among the upcoming deals the Vikings have budgeted for.”
Moves such as trading away Jonathan Greenard could eventually give Minnesota the funds to pay not just one but two receivers.
Addison hopes to bounce back with Murray (or an improved J.J. McCarthy) tossing the rock.