Vikings WR Jordan Addison may face a multi-game suspension

Minnesota Vikings wide receiver Jordan Addison could face different consequences following his arrest for drunk driving depending on the details of the alleged offense.

A California Highway Patrol (CHP West) officer took Addison into custody on Friday evening, July 12, after finding him asleep behind the wheel of a stalled vehicle blocking lanes on Interstate 105 in front of Los Angeles International Airport (LAX).

“After completing the DUI investigation, the driver was arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence,” the arresting officer wrote in the police report, a copy of which Heavy received via email from the CHP Southern Division on July 14.

However, the report does not mention blood alcohol content (BAC), which the Star Tribune’s Ben Goessling noted during his Monday appearance on KFAN’s “The Paul Allen Show.” Because of this omission, Allen and Goessling speculated that Addison’s alleged offense may be marijuana-related, which could change the calculation of the punishment Addison will ultimately face from the NFL.

“The police report doesn’t mention blood alcohol content,” Goessling said. “If it was something edible or something similar and not alcohol, that would be legal in California. So that could change the whole thing, too.”

Although recreational use of marijuana is legal according to the California Department of Motor Vehicle Safety, driving while under the influence of marijuana remains illegal. It remains unclear whether the league office and/or the Vikings organization would view an arrest for driving under the influence of marijuana differently than one for alcohol.

Goessling added that there is a precedent for punishment in the case of alcohol, which provides for suspension.

“When it comes to alcohol,” Goessling continued, “I think the precedent for that is three games, and the optics of that are obviously really bad right now.”

Vikings and Jordan Addison will both be losers if the NFL bans the wide receiver for the season opener

GettyWide receiver Jordan Addison of the Minnesota Vikings.

A three-game suspension will undoubtedly hurt Minnesota early in the season, as the Vikings face a tough schedule that includes two home games against the San Francisco 49ers and Houston Texans in Weeks 2 and 3, respectively. Both teams won playoff games last year, and the Niners ended their season with a Super Bowl loss to the Kansas City Chiefs.

Addison caught 70 passes for 911 receiving yards and 10 TDs in his rookie season and was the team’s No. 2 wide receiver alongside superstar Justin Jefferson.

This type of punishment will also hurt Addison’s reputation and his wallet. Addison signed a four-year, $13.7 million contract with Minnesota after the team drafted him with the No. 23 pick in 2023. His salary cap hit next season is $3.2 million, with that figure including both a $375,000 roster bonus and a prorated signing bonus of nearly $1.75 million.

That puts Addison’s base salary in 2024 at just under $1 million ($999,170). Each of his game earnings during the 17-week regular season is worth just under $59,000. He would lose three of those earnings due to the suspension, which Goessling called a historic precedent for a DUI offense, meaning Addison would lose a total of just over $176,000.

Jordan Addison may face harsher punishment as he has committed several traffic violations in the past since joining the Vikings

GettyJordan Addison, wide receiver for the Minnesota Vikings.

The Vikings issued a statement regarding Addison’s situation after news of his arrest broke Sunday night.

“We are aware of the arrest of Jordan Addison last Friday and are currently gathering additional information regarding the incident,” the team said, according to ESPN.

Both Minnesota and the league will likely view Addison’s conduct less favorably than they already would have, given his history of traffic violations since joining the team.

According to a report by the Associated Press (AP), Minnesota State Police cited Addison in July 2023 for driving a vehicle at 140 miles per hour in a zone with a 55-mile-per-hour speed limit. Addison tried to excuse the offense by telling the police officer who pulled him over that his decision to drive so fast was due to an emergency related to his dog, the AP reported.

According to Pro Football Talk, Addison pleaded guilty to speeding and paid $686 in fines and fees.