Vikings’ Jordan Addison, bracing for possible suspension, still expects ‘good year’ after workouts with the J.J.’s

The Vikings’ “J.J.” duo — quarterback J.J. McCarthy and receiver Justin Jefferson — served as a gravitational force that beckoned third-year receiver Jordan Addison to stay around his teammates during the summer break between spring workouts and training camp.

Addison said he spent a “couple weeks” periodically working out with McCarthy and Jefferson, among other teammates, on the football field at Woodbury High School, a 15-minute drive east of the Vikings’ Eagan headquarters.

Who organized those training sessions this month?

“J.J.,” as in McCarthy, Addison said Wednesday. “He just told us all where to meet and he was there.”

“It was high vibes, good spirits,” Addison added.

McCarthy said he also spent some time in Tennessee, where he reached out to tight end T.J. Hockenson, a Nashville resident, to form another training group that included tight end Josh Oliver and running backs Jordan Mason and Ty Chandler.

McCarthy, the 10th overall pick last year out of Michigan, missed his rookie season due to a knee injury. He said the more experience together with his receivers, the better, before he makes his first NFL start on Sept. 8 in Chicago.

Hockenson said he first put the idea in McCarthy’s brain to come visit his training grounds in Tennessee.

“I had kind of been bugging him since January after the season,” Hockenson said. “Just see what kind of vibe we have. ... Just to come down and play golf, train, talk ball without other people around. How do you see this? How do you go about this? Just keeping him in the loop with how I run routes, how Josh runs routes. Yeah, it was a lot of fun.”

Addison, the Vikings’ 2023 first-round pick, also trained privately with Jefferson, who said in June that the “team needs us to be on our ‘A’ game” this season. He said the pair merged training programs and spent time together like they hadn’t before in the offseason.

“Usually when we get out of here, we all go our separate ways,” Addison said. “It’s good to be able to connect with him a little bit more. ... We were just hanging out, bonding with each other.”

Addison’s 19 touchdown catches trail only Randy Moss’ 28 scores for the most in a player’s first two seasons with the Vikings. Addison said he feels ready to build on that early success.

Whether Addison will be available at the start of this season remains to be seen.

Last week, he pleaded no contest to a charge of “wet reckless” driving in Los Angeles County Superior Court, stemming from a July 2024 arrest.

Addison’s case was set for trial last week, but he said he agreed to the plea deal to “really just get it all behind me and get on with the season.”

Addison was arrested July 12, 2024, when California Highway Patrol officers found him asleep at the wheel of a Rolls-Royce and blocking lanes of traffic near Los Angeles International Airport. He was originally charged with driving under the influence with .08% blood alcohol content. Those charges, to which Addison pleaded not guilty in December, were dismissed.

Addison’s case remains under review for a possible NFL suspension, a league spokesperson told the Minnesota Star Tribune last week. Vikings General Manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah said Tuesday he does not know when a decision will be made.

Addison could face a three-game suspension under the NFL’s substance abuse policy as a first-time offender.

That arrest was Addison’s second in a year. He was arrested in July 2023 in St. Paul for driving 140 mph in a 65-mph zone on Interstate 94. He agreed to plead guilty to a petty misdemeanor speeding charge.

He has a progress report set for Oct. 29 in Los Angeles, six days after the Vikings play the Chargers there on “Thursday Night Football” and four days before they face the Lions in Detroit.

“Just be smart, make smart decisions,” Addison said when asked what the experience has taught him. “That’s all.”

Emily Leiker of the Minnesota Star Tribune contributed to this story.