Jordan Addison Suspended

The inevitable news dropped yesterday. Minnesota Vikings receiver Jordan Addison is suspended for the first three games of the 2025 NFL season. The suspension is for a violation of the league’s substance abuse policy. Addison pleaded no contest in July to a lesser charge of wet reckless driving stemming from a July 2024 drunken driving arrest in Los Angeles. His original charges of driving under the influence and driving with a 0.08% blood alcohol content were dismissed Technically, Addison wasn’t driving but he was behind the wheel of a parked car in a very suspect condition. That’s all that matters. 

While the suspension was expected, the announcement of it does have the feel of a punch to the gut. I was hoping for a two game suspension, perhaps even a single game, but I knew those were overly hopeful hopes. With Addison’s suspension becoming real, fans and media are now in the inevitable overreaction stage. The sky is falling. The reality of the situation is that the Vikings have known of this possibility since July 2024. Of course, it’s not ideal. Addison is a very important part of the Vikings offense. The Justin Jefferson - Jordan Addison duo is one of the league’s best. Partly due to Jefferson being sidelined by a balky hamstring, new quarterback J.J. McCarthy and Addison have developed a very nice connection during training camp. Their connections have often been the offensive highlights of practices routinely dominated by the defense. Just when things are cooking between the two, they will be forced into three-week separation. It isn’t great but it’s no reason to abandon hope. An offseason focused on improving the trenches on both sides of the ball combined with the possibilities with an exciting, young, talented quarterback has created excitement and expectations. The suspension is a hit to that excitement and those expectations. There’s no way around the fact that Addison will be missed during the first three games. However, the sky is not falling on the Vikings season. Here are some reasons to rest easy.

Kevin O’Connell

Justin Jefferson

T.J. Hockenson

Aaron Jones

Jordan Mason

Kevin O’Connell

Justin Jefferson

Josh Oliver

J.J. McCarthy

That rebuilt offensive line

Jalen Nailor

Tai Felton

Rondale Moore

Kevin O’Connell

Justin Jefferson

The sky is definitely not falling. Kevin O’Connell, his coaches, and the team’s decision-makers have known about this possibility for over a year. An injury at the start of last season forced the Vikings to deal with Addison’s absence on the fly and they won both games. With more than a year of awareness, I expect O’Connell and company to be prepared to take the field without Addison. After sweeping through Chicago, Atlanta, and Cincinnati, the rest of the league will be put on notice when Jordan Addison returns to the field in Dublin against the Pittsburgh Steelers.