Vikings’ Jordan Addison returns from three-game ban and is ‘clicking’ with Carson Wentz

Vikings wide receiver Jordan Addison and quarterback Carson Wentz have technically been teammates for one month.

But the first time Wentz threw a pass that Addison caught was ...?

“It was today, actually,” Addison said after Wednesday’s practice. “We worked for a bit after practice just to get the timing down. We was clicking, though.”

Addison, a 2023 first-round pick, will make his season debut in Sunday’s game against the Pittsburgh Steelers in Dublin. He returns from a three-game suspension that stemmed from a 2024 DUI arrest in Los Angeles. Addison, 23, pleaded no contest to a lesser charge in July.

Addison said he’s looking forward to picking up where he left off following a lauded training camp this summer.

Coach Kevin O’Connell said Addison, whose 19 touchdowns in his first two seasons trail only Randy Moss in team history, would be on the “podium” if he were ranking the best players in camp.

“He’s very, very unique as far as his route running,” O’Connell said. “He’s got such unique separation ability throughout different levels of routes. He can win early. He can win late.”

But McCarthy will not be the quarterback throwing to Addison on Sunday against Pittsburgh.

Wentz got the nod again this week as McCarthy remained held out of practice because of a sprained ankle. Wentz, a 10-year veteran, brought stability and production in a win against the Cincinnati Bengals. He completed 14 of 20 passes for 173 yards and two touchdowns in his first Vikings start.

Now starting for his sixth different NFL team, Wentz has a new starting receiver.

“A lot of things are still kind of firsts,” Wentz said. “So, just throw him into the mix as well. Obviously, I’ve seen his game from afar. Extremely talented, the way he gets in and out of breaks, the competitiveness.”

Wentz said there’s only so much extra practice time he can log with Addison because receivers “have to be ready to run” for the game.

Helping Addison is the NFL’s recent rule change that allows suspended players to return to their team’s facilities during the second half of a suspension. Addison returned Sept. 9, a day after the Vikings’ season-opening victory at Chicago. He was allowed to attend meetings and lift weights with the team’s strength staff, but he could not practice or play until this week.

During the time away, Addison said he treated it like an offseason program, running routes and lifting on his own.

Returning to the team “felt good,” he said. “Being isolated by myself, I was in my thoughts a lot. I was alone. Just being able to come back in the building, be with my teammates, chill, crack jokes and laugh — it was a big part in processing coming back.”

Teammates and coaches often laud Addison’s precise footwork and route running, but safety Harrison Smith said there’s a sneakiness to his game.

“His speed,” Smith said. “He’s very fast, but sometimes you don’t feel it until it’s too late. I think that allows him to make a lot of big plays.”

“I don’t know that you’re looking to play him 80 snaps,” Phillips said. “We see it now like we have four starting receivers with Jordan back. Want to keep all those guys fresh.”

Wentz threw touchdown passes last week to tight ends T.J. Hockenson and Josh Oliver.

Now he’s looking forward to seeing what the Vikings’ top receiver duo, Jefferson and Addison, can do together.

“Without a doubt, it’s exciting,” Wentz said. “Some of these things are still new, but I get to see the juice these guys bring and their ability to get in and out of cuts — all the guys. It’s been impressive to see, and I’m excited to just play point guard, so to speak, and distribute.”