The Minnesota Vikings are without their franchise QB J.J. McCarthy for yet another week. The headline of the morning game is the NFL debut of rookie QB Dillon Gabriel for the Browns, but Vikings WR Jordan Addison is making a case to be a talking point as well.
After being suspended for the first three games, he returned to action last week. In Week 5, he didn’t appear in either of Minnesota’s first two offensive drives.
What Happened to Jordan Addison?
Addison’s status was largely unknown, but he didn’t play a single snap in the first quarter. Fans are beginning to wonder what is going on with Addison, as Jalen Nailor and Adam Thielen are taking all the reps at receiver.
Addison had four catches for 114 yards in last week’s game, but was reportedly benched by head coach Kevin O’Connell to start the game.
There is no injury for Jordan Addison, Vikings say. His absence has been due to coach’s decision.
— Kevin Seifert (@SeifertESPN) October 5, 2025
The reason for the benching remains unknown, and fans on social media were confused by the Vikings star’s absence on the field. “Where is Jordan Addison???” said one fan.
“Why is Jordan Addison not playing?” questioned another fan.
Another fan jokingly questioned whether Addison was even with the team in London.
“Did the Viking send Jordan Addison home for the week?” said one fan.
Did the Viking send Jordan Addison home for the week?
— Lupert Paulo (@LupertPaulo) October 5, 2025
Addison entered the game in the second quarter, after the Vikings decided to bench him for the first quarter as a disciplinary action. Heading into the Week 5 game against the Browns, the Vikings had the 26th-ranked offense in the league based on PFSN’s Offense Impact metric.
Addison was heavily involved in the offense in Week 4, so his first-quarter absence was surprising. He ended up scoring the game-winning touchdown for the Vikings as Minnesota won 21-17.
Fantasy owners were very worried about Addison’s status after stashing him on their benches during his suspension, and were very encouraged by his Week 4 performance. He was a good option to play in many leagues, and managers certainly weren’t expecting a disciplinary benching when they woke up to watch the game.
After the game, it was revealed that Addison was benched because he missed a walkthrough this week.
“He missed a walkthrough this week,” said O’Connell. “Those types of things aren’t in alignment with our standards. Wanted to make sure he was held accountable for that.”
