Many are hoping that Minnesota Vikings QB Kyler Murray can get Justin Jefferson back to the production that many expect from the star wideout. Nonetheless, another wide receiver who could benefit from Murray is Jordan Addison.
Last season, Addison played 473 pass snaps, earning a 64.9 overall PFF grade. Moreover, he hauled in 42 receptions on 74 targets for 610 receiving yards and three touchdowns. Addison also averaged 14.5 yards per reception and generated 135 yards after the catch.
Ahead of the Week 1 game against the Green Bay Packers on Sept. 13, Garret Greenlee of Football Analysis believes that Addison is in line for a major 2026 NFL season.
“My stance on Jordan Addison entering the year has kind of been the same that it’s been for the past couple of months,” Greenlee said in a Sept. 4 video from “Vikings Collective.” “I think this is going to be the absolute best that you see from Jordan Addison because with the receiver market exploding the way that it has, Zay Flowers just got the exact contract Justin Jefferson did.
“There’s going to be a conversation of, is Jordan Addison going to get that contract? Is Jordan Addison going to be close to Jefferson’s money? Where are we going to go with that? Jordan Addison, I could not be higher on entering the season relative to who we expect him to be.”
Jordan Addison Could Force Tough Decision
Moreover, in that same segment, Matthew Coller of Purple Insider noted that while the Vikings would want Addison to produce over 1,000 receiving yards this season, Minnesota would be put in a challenging position if that happens.
As a result, Coller believes the Vikings would be at a crossroads: Whether to pay Addison or move him for draft pick assets if they have no interest in paying him with one more year left on his rookie contract after this season.
“I think they would love for [Addison] to get 1,000 yards, be great, give him a huge contract extension and figure out the salary cap part some other time because he’s so important to Kevin O’Connell and he’s so talented,” Coller said. “But it is going to put them at a little bit of a crossroads.
“How do you make all the money work? You’re probably going to have to let a lot of other players go who they have not given extensions to this offseason in order to make that fit, which means you have to fix it quickly through the draft and then through good deals in free agency. Can you build a complete team that way?”
Vikings Expect Bounce Back Season From Justin Jefferson
As for Jefferson, the expectation is that with Murray now under center, the Vikings star’s production is expected to increase this season.
In an Aug. 19 video from ESPN, NFL insider Adam Schefter shared an outlook on Jefferson and what those within the organization are saying now that Murray is their starting QB.
“Justin Jefferson has fallen out of that conversation [as the best receiver in the NFL],” Schefter said. “By signing Kyler Murray, this is the Vikings’ attempt to get him squarely back into that conversation and make sure that he is remembered as one of the best, if not the best, wide receivers in the NFL. We didn’t get to see those plays with regularity from Justin Jefferson last year.
“With Kyler Murray, the way he throws the deep ball and his accuracy, I think there’s a feeling within the organization that this can help revive Justin Jefferson. Not that he didn’t play well last year, of course he did, but he needs a quarterback getting him the football, and I would expect that he’s going to be peppered with targets early and often.”
Vikings Handed Bold Jordan Addison Prediction Ahead of Week 1