Addison 3-Game Suspension Leaves Vikings In Deep Hole

Jordan Addison has been suspended for three games by the NFL. (Photo by Mike Mulholland/Getty Images)

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Jordan Addison’s three-game suspension is not the kind of news that quarterback J.J. McCarthy needed to hear about at this point in training camp. As the second-year quarterback gets set to take over the Vikings offense, the suspension means that the Minnesota offense is likely to be substantially handicapped at the start of the season.

Addison will miss the first three games of the season unless the receiver decides to appeal the decision that was announced Tuesday by the NFL. Addison pleaded no contest in July to a charge of “wet” reckless driving resulting from a July 2024 drunken driving arrest in Los Angeles. The term “wet” indicates that either alcohol or drugs were involved in the incident.

He was originally charged with driving under the influence and driving with a .08% blood alcohol content. Those charges were dismissed and Addison had pleaded not guilty to them in December.

The Vikings are likely to be without Addison at the start of the season and All-Pro receiver Justin Jefferson has been slowed by a left hamstring strain this summer. Additionally, tight end T.J. Hockenson missed the team’s Monday night practice session with hip, leg and back issues.

While the Jefferson injury has been labeled as mild throughout the summer and Hockenson situation may not be serious, this is not the way that head coach Kevin O’Connell wants McCarthy to start his NFL career. Instead of having his three most dangerous weapons operating at full speed, he is likely to be missing one of them while the other two could be at less than full strength.

The Vikings might benefit by having Addison appeal his suspension. The NFL bylaws and Collective Bargaining Agreement requires that a player must file his decision to appeal a suspension within five days. The appeal itself may not be heard right away and that could mean Addison’s suspension could come down later in the season.

This could be advantageous to the Vikings. The start of the schedule appears to include winnable games during the first five weeks of the season. The Vikings open the season with games at Chicago, at home vs. Atlanta and Cincinnati and games overseas against the Steelers (Dublin) and the Browns (London). The Vikings started the season by winning their first five games last year and it seems essential that they start the upcoming season with a 4-1 or 5-0 record.

That’s because the schedule is brutal after they return from Europe. They face the defending Super Bowl champion Eagles, Chargers, Lions and Ravens in consecutive weeks. By that point, O’Connell needs the Vikings to be operating at peak efficiency against three of the league’s elite teams and a Jim Harbaugh-led Chargers team that appears to be on its way up the ladder.

While the Vikings are not a one-dimensional team, it would be quite a handicap for McCarthy to start the season with a receiving crew that is not close to its best. O’Connell wants the running game with Aaron Jones and former 49er Jordan Mason to play a prominent role this season. The Minnesota ground attack tied for 17^th in the NFL last year.

They also could have one of the best defensive teams in the league under coordinator Brian Flores. The defense has improved significantly under Flores for two consecutive seasons, and another step up is expected this season. The Vikings ranked 5th in points allowed last season with an average of 19.2 points given up per game.

Linebackers Andrew Van Ginkel and Blake Cashman are both difference makers and defensive back Josh Metellus is a game-changing player.

The Vikings will need the ground game and the defense to perform at peak levels early in the season with an inexperienced quarterback under center. Especially if that QB1 does not have any of his top three weapons operating peak efficiency at the start of the year.

An appeal of his suspension could prove advantageous to Addison and the Vikings.