Addison still has a few years left on his rookie deal. Would the Vikings consider moving him?

At some point, the Vikings will have a decision to make on Jordan Addison’s future. The 2023 first-round pick, who has thrived as the No. 2 receiver next to Justin Jefferson, will be eligible for a contract extension after this season. It might be more likely that the decision happens in the 2027 offseason, when he’ll be headed into the fifth and final year of his rookie contract (assuming he stays out of further off-the-field trouble and the Vikings pick up his fifth-year option).

Is there a world where things never get that far and Minnesota considers trading Addison as soon as this offseason? That’s an idea that was recently floated by Matt Parrino, who covers the Bills for Syracuse.com. While cycling through some potential Buffalo trade targets in a mailbag response, Parrino mentioned Addison’s name. This appears to be simply speculative and not based on sourced reporting, but it’s interesting nonetheless.

Here’s what he wrote:

“Two other names to monitor are New Orleans Saints receiver Chris Olave, who does come with a concerning concussion history, and maybe Minnesota receiver Jordan Addison. The Vikings just gave All-Pro receiver Justin Jefferson a monster new deal and Addison will be extension eligible after the 2025 season. The Bills and Vikings have pulled off a trade in the past for a big-time receiver and Beane should look into Addison’s availability. From the outside looking in, Addison seems to have played his best ball when Jefferson was out of the lineup in 2023. He’s a vertical threat who can win at all three levels. I think he’d be a fun addition to the Bills offense.”

To be clear, I don’t think this is remotely likely. But the case for the Vikings trading Addison would be to capitalize on his value being high and protect themselves from the possibility that he gets into additional trouble down the line. If Addison makes it through this offseason without any legal issues, it would be the first time that’s happened since he was drafted 23rd overall two years ago. He was cited for speeding and reckless driving in 2023 and then was arrested on suspicion of DUI last summer, less than a week after teammate Khyree Jackson died in a car crash where alcohol was involved. Addison may still face an NFL suspension for his 2024 incident in the upcoming season.

If the Vikings were to trade Addison, they would presumably get back a first-round pick and some additional draft capital. If they were to do it this month, they could get the 30th overall pick from the Bills (plus other picks) and use it to select a replacement wide receiver like Luther Burden III or Emeka Egbuka. It worked out pretty well the last time they traded a receiver to the Bills and then drafted their replacement, though that was obviously a different situation in March 2020.

Again, I’d be very surprised if the Vikings even considered trading Addison this offseason. He’s 23 years old, very talented, and on a rookie deal for three more years. Addison has 1,786 receiving yards and 20 total touchdowns in two seasons, and he’s shown an ability to step into the No. 1 role if Justin Jefferson has to miss time. That makes him a very valuable asset for a team in win-now mode, especially a team that’s getting ready to break in a 22-year-old quarterback who hasn’t yet started an NFL regular season game.

But Addison’s long-term future is an intriguing thing to ponder. Will the Vikings want to eventually have both an elite WR1 and a top-tier WR2 making top-12 receiver money like the Bengals, Dolphins, and Eagles currently do? Maybe Addison will be in Minnesota alongside Jefferson for years and years to come, but that doesn’t feel like a sure thing at this point, by any means.