An NFL North contender has lost a key playmaker for the start of the season.
The NFL announced Tuesday that Vikings wide receiver Jordan Addison has been suspended without pay for the first three games of the regular season for violating the league’s substance abuse policy.
He will miss the opener at the Chicago Bears and then home games against the Atlanta Falcons and Cincinnati Bengals.
He is permitted to participate in all training camp activities, including preseason games.
Addison was arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence after being caught asleep at the wheel near LAX in July 2024.
California Highway Patrol arrested Addison, 22, just after 11:30 p.m. on July 13 after receiving a report of a disabled vehicle blocking lanes from the westbound Glen Anderson (105) Freeway to northbound Sepulveda Boulevard.
Addison is entering his third NFL season after starring at Pittsburgh and USC.
This is his second driving-related offense. He was stopped in a Lamborghini Urus in July 2023 and cited for speed and reckless driving before reporting to his first training camp with the Vikings.
The 23-year-old was a consensus All-American who won the Fred Biletnikoff Award in 2021 at Pitt. The next season, he transferred to USC to play with quarterback Caleb Williams and earned All-Pac-12 First Team honors while catching 59 passes for 875 yards and eight touchdowns.
The Vikings drafted Addison No. 23 overall in the 2023 NFL draft. In two seasons with the Vikings, he has started 29 games while serving as a complementary pass catcher to star Justin Jefferson.
He has 133 catches for 1,786 yards and 19 touchdowns. Former Michigan State wide receiver Jalen Nailor is the most likely candidate to replace Addison in the starting lineup.
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