EAGAN, Minn. — Almost every day in the locker room, the Minnesota Vikings receivers play a game called shadowboxing. Two players face each other and contort their heads in all sorts of ways to avoid eye contact. It’s as odd to watch as you might imagine, but one player thinks he’s the best.
His name is Jordan Addison.
It’s not that he pronounces himself the champion. Addison doesn’t hoot and holler around the locker room. He wears no crown. All he does is win a shadowboxing matchup and smirk. A teammate will beg him to play again. He’ll turn him down or reluctantly accept. Almost like, Fine, if you want me to beat you again, I’ll do it.
Addison is known for being quiet and reserved. Justin Jefferson used to joke that he was trying to get his young protege to talk more. Wide receivers coach Keenan McCardell confirmed earlier this season that Addison’s near silence is not confined to the locker room or conversations with media members.
“I love that he’s quiet because he doesn’t need to talk,” McCardell said in October. “His play speaks for itself.”
He could have been talking about shadowboxing, but the same goes for Addison’s aura on the field.
Only five receivers have scored 20 touchdowns combined over the past two seasons. Future Hall of Famer Mike Evans tops the list with 24. All-Pro shoo-in Ja’Marr Chase ranks second with 23, and elite Detroit Lions receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown has 21. Then there are Addison’s 20 touchdowns, tied with Dallas Cowboys superstar CeeDee Lamb. Addison’s 10 touchdowns this season (nine receiving and one rushing) are tied for fifth behind Chase, Evans, St. Brown and Washington Commanders receiver Terry McLaurin.
Darnold and Addison making it look easy 😮💨 TD @Vikings!
📺: #GBvsMIN on FOX
📱: https://t.co/waVpO909ge pic.twitter.com/T2NQ7GQV0d— NFL (@NFL) December 29, 2024
This is what Vikings coach Kevin O’Connell envisioned while watching film with Addison during a pre-
It took longer than the Vikings hoped for this to reveal itself. Jefferson tore his right hamstring last season, forcing Addison into a primary receiving role beside tight end T.J. Hockenson. This year, Addison injured his ankle in Week 1 against the New York Giants, and although he returned in Week 4, the Vikings knew he wasn’t fully healthy until midway through the season. In the past six games — with Hockenson back in the fold, too — Jefferson and Addison have combined for 79 catches and 1,083 receiving yards.
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Quarterback Sam Darnold is dispersing the ball beautifully across the field, but even he recognizes the value of not just one silky-smooth route runner but two.
“J.A. just continues to surprise me with the way that he can get in and out of cuts and just his suddenness,” Darnold said. “It’s very impressive.”
Addison peels off routes almost as well as Jefferson. It’s almost like his feet are exacto knives, carving into the ground. There is a reason both rank in the top 10 among NFL receivers in average maximum mph during routes. They reach their top speed consistently and often maintain it, which is why they are less affected by defenders — despite their slight statures — than you might think.
Just like Jefferson, Addison was dinged for his size during the lead-up to the draft. Jefferson is listed at 6 feet 1 and 195 pounds. Addison is even smaller at 5-11 and 175 pounds. Side by side with Vikings kicker Will Reichard, Addison doesn’t look much larger.
Yet it doesn’t matter. The only player with more catches in tight windows than Addison over the past six weeks is Chicago Bears wideout Keenan Allen, who is 3 inches taller and 36 pounds heavier. He has great hand strength and durability, but he’s also fearless. It takes an ironclad confidence to float over the middle and snatch passes, even in this day and age, and Addison has that. Sunday, he even bodied a few Green Bay Packers defenders as a run blocker.
“His willingness to do that part of the job has been critical,” O’Connell said.
Couldn’t have asked for a better start.#ProBowlVote Sam Darnold Jordan Addison
📺: @NFLonFOX pic.twitter.com/HDIHBNN843
— Minnesota Vikings (@Vikings) December 22, 2024
The Vikings usually ask their receivers to play several roles. Typically, a team has an X receiver, its most talented player who lines up on the backside. The Z receiver is usually the No. 2 option, and the Y is often the tight end. The Vikings’ offensive structure asks Jefferson, Addison, Jalen Nailor and even Hockenson to assume all of these positions at various points.
This takes a notable degree of aptitude. Not only must they be able to run routes from multiple positions, but they also must know the verbiage to motion to those spots. Addison ran 10 routes off motion Sunday night alone, according to Next Gen Stats, the third most of any NFL player this week.
Addison has other special traits. He has one of the lowest drop rates in the NFL over the last two years. His ball-tracking ability is almost alien-like. There are a host of exceptional No. 2 receivers in the NFL, such as Tee Higgins and DeVonta Smith, but Addison has proved for two years that he ranks near the top of that list.
It’s not his style to declare that publicly, just like it wasn’t his style to respond to a comment Bears cornerback Tyrique Stevenson made after being flagged for pass interference on Addison in Week 15.
“It’s not my fault he’s 135 pounds,” Stevenson said after that game.
When asked about it, Addison smirked. Per usual, nothing but the result mattered.
(Photo: Stephen Maturen / Getty Images)
