Vikes’ Addison: Making too much of ‘Free 3’ post

• Kevin Seifert, ESPN Staff WriterOct 28, 2024, 05:31 PM ET

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  Kevin Seifert is a staff writer who covers the Minnesota Vikings and the NFL at ESPN. Kevin has covered the NFL for over 20 years, joining ESPN in 2008. He was previously a beat reporter for the Minneapolis Star Tribune and Washington Times. He is a graduate of the University of Virginia. You can follow him via Twitter @SeifertESPN.

EAGAN, Minn. — No, Jordan Addison does not want to be traded. The Minnesota Vikings receiver said he’s not upset with his number of targets this season and wasn’t trying to imply otherwise in an Instagram story he posted over the weekend.

“People just try to make something out of anything,” Addison said Monday. “It ain’t nothing.”

Early Saturday morning, Addison posted a photo on social media of his No. 3 jersey with the caption “Free 3” — a message that led to widespread speculation. Addison, however, said Monday that he has used the phrase for at least four years, beginning with his time at the University of Pittsburgh, and later posted a screenshot of an Instagram post from that time period to clarify.

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“I think I came up with that in in 2020 fall camp at Pittsburgh,” Addison said. “So that’s where that started. People got to do their homework before they start saying stuff.”

Addison’s production has decreased in his second season, in part because of an ankle injury that cost him two games and in part because the Vikings rank last in the NFL in pass attempts per game (27.14).

After catching 70 passes on 108 targets for 911 yards and 10 touchdowns last season as a rookie, Addison has just 14 catches on 23 targets for 231 yards and one score so far this season.

“No, I’m straight,” Addison said when asked to clarify whether he had any issues at all with the way he has been used.

Later he described his season to date as “all right.”

“Obviously I wish I could be doing a little bit better,” Addison said, “but I’m doing everything I can. I’m learning every week, watching the film and just trying to get better every day. I’m just looking forward to having a good game this week.”

He added later: “Just keep getting open. That’s my job as a receiver, and that’s what I’m going to keep doing.”

The Vikings will host the Indianapolis Colts on Sunday night at U.S. Bank Stadium.

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