Minnesota Vikings wide receiver Jordan Addison cited for ‘reckless driving.’ What do we know?
The Vikings’ rookie wide receiver could be in trouble ahead of preseason training camp. The question is how will that affect his integration with the team?
Though youth is often an active ingredient in poor decision-making, the Vikings’ new player will have to quickly get his head around the status and nature of the platform that he now has, as a rookie in the NFL.
Vikings’ Jordan Addison cited for ‘reckless driving’
According to a report from the Minnesota State Patrol, Minnesota Vikings rookie wide receiver Jordan Addison was cited for reckless driving during the early hours of Thursday morning. Selected in the first round of the 2023 NFL Draft as the 23rd overall, the 21-year-year-old Pittsburgh product was pulled over by State Highway Patrol at 3:07 a.m. on Thursday morning while driving his Lamborghini Urus on I-94 in St. Paul. It is understood that he was traveling at a speed of 140 mph in a 55 mph zone headed eastbound, 85 mph over the speed limit. It should be noted that Addison was not arrested for his actions, but the investigation is ongoing.
For their part, the Vikings have since released a statement in which they acknowledged the situation in which Addison has found himself. “We are aware of last night’s traffic incident involving Jordan Addison and are gathering additional information,” the franchise said in a statement.
Who is Jordan Addison?
Back in May, Addison put pen to paper on his rookie contract which was reported at the time as a four-year deal worth $13.73 million with a fifth-year option. Regarded as one of the top prospects of the class, the pass catcher had played three solid seasons between USC and Pittsburgh (2020-2022). In the single season that h played in California, he posted 59 receptions for 875 yards and eight touchdowns across 11 games. Prior to that, his two campaigns with the Panthers were stunning, with the most prolific being in 2021, when he registered 100 catches for 1,593 yards and 17 touchdowns. That was of course good enough for All-American honors and the Fred Biletnikoff Award.
Where the NFL is concerned, the general consensus is that Addison will be in contention for a starting spot in Minnesota, With that said, it’s worth noting that there was some degree of uncertainty surrounding him even before this latest report of a citation. Addison actually missed the majority of the OTAs as well as mandatory minicamp earlier in the offseason due to an undisclosed injury. “We’re being overly cautious with him right now,” head coach Kevin O’Connell said back in May. “Something that popped up toward the end of rookie minicamp. Nothing serious at all. Kind of a day-to-day thing that we’re working through.” Training camp for the Vikings is expected to start on Sunday.