Five days after police cited Vikings rookie receiver Jordan Addison for driving 140 miles per hour down Interstate 94, team brass stood by Addison's character.
General Manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah and coach Kevin O'Connell cited the team's predraft research into Addison's background, as well as how the 21-year-old Addison and his network have responded to the incident, as reasons to feel confident in his future.
O'Connell said Addison spoke with him and Adofo-Mensah "multiple times" after he was stopped around 3:15 a.m. Thursday on eastbound I-94 in St. Paul.
"The big thing for me talking to Jordan was let's learn from it," O'Connell said, "and I think he's got a good perspective on owning it, taking responsibility but also moving forward the right way."
O'Connell said Addison relayed his reasoning to the team — that his "dog was having an emergency at his residence" — which State Patrol recorded in a citation for reckless driving.
"Things like that can't happen again regardless of what may have caused him to drive that fast," O'Connell said. "He's always been a guy through the whole draft process and getting to know him, his family and everything, I have 100 percent confidence in Jordan and that he's obviously going to have a great camp. But I still feel strongly about the type of person and player we added to our team."
The team is still internally discussing whether to punish Addison for the incident, according to Adofo-Mensah, who said he heard from Addison's family afterward. Addison apologized in a statement, saying he "used poor judgment."
"Obviously, he made a mistake," Adofo-Mensah said. "But what you see after the fact, from his representatives to his family, who reached out to me, this kid was raised right. He knows what he did was a mistake. Everybody in his life is aligned to make sure this was a one-time occurrence. We want to make sure we coach him up and know this is something that shouldn't happen and was serious, but we believe in Jordan and his future."
Addison, who suffered an injury in May rookie camp and didn't participate in spring practices, is expected to be a full participant during Wednesday's first training camp session, O'Connell said.
'Healthy and ready to go'
Veteran players underwent physicals and conditioning tests Tuesday upon reporting to TCO Performance Center in Eagan for the start of training camp. The results were promising, according to O'Connell, who said there were no further additions to injured lists.
Right tackle Brian O'Neill, who suffered a partly torn Achilles on Jan. 1, is eligible to practice with the team right away. But he will be eased into action, O'Connell said.
Two players moved to injured lists Monday — guard/center Chris Reed and edge rusher Andre Carter II — should have short-term stays, according to O'Connell. Reed is dealing with a lower-leg injury suffered while training away from the team. He's on the non-football injury list. Carter suffered a soft-tissue injury, O'Connell said, while at the facility. He's on the physically unable to perform list.
"All others are healthy and ready to go," O'Connell said.
The Vikings added one player, tackle Bobby Evans, on Tuesday. Evans, 26, was a 2019 third-round pick by the Rams. He also spent a couple weeks in January on the Vikings practice squad. The Vikings roster is now at the 90-player max.
Jefferson, Hockenson negotiations ongoing
Contract negotiations with receiver Justin Jefferson's agents are "ongoing," said Adofo-Mensah, who expects to speak with his representatives again soon. Jefferson, the 2020 first-round draft pick, became eligible for a contract extension this offseason. He leads the NFL with 4,825 receiving yards since being drafted, setting a league record for most receiving yards by a player in his first three seasons.
"We just got back to training camp, right?" Adofo-Mensah said. "So there's no rush, per se, in that regard. … There's certain types of players you want around: players who love football, are great at football, make their teammates better, have that winning spirit … and try to find solutions to keep them around."
Talks are also ongoing with tight end T.J. Hockenson, who threw out the first pitch at Target Field on Monday. The Vikings traded for Hockenson last October and want to keep him around longer than his current contract, which expires after this season.
"Great dialogue with his agent. We spoke recently as well," Adofo-Mensah said. "Another person that fits what we want as a Viking here long-term. We're going to try to find a solution for that as well."
Dalvin Cook return?
Adofo-Mensah only briefly entertained the possibility of running back Dalvin Cook — who remains a free agent after the Vikings cut him in June — returning to Minnesota. Never say never, but let's talk about players on the roster, the GM said.
"Dalvin was obviously a great player here for a long time," Adofo-Mensah said. "We're here at the beginning of training camp, I want to be excited about what we have here and maybe not speak about things like that. Obviously, everything is possible in this league, so I'll never close the door. But I'd really like to focus on what we have here."
