Tuscarora High grad, Vikings rookie Jordan Addison named NFL Offensive Rookie of the Month

Nov. 2—At various times over the past few weeks, Jordan Addison could be seen on national television miming the famous Michael Jordan shrug after a mind-boggling play, doing the Lambeau leap to cap a touchdown in Green Bay and appearing on graphics that favorably compared his numbers to those of Randy Moss.

All of that occurred while Addison was acting as the Minnesota Vikings' top offensive threat due to the injury of his All-Pro teammate.

As a result, the 2020 Tuscarora High graduate and wide receiver on Thursday was named the NFL Offensive Rookie of the Month for October.

Addison became the fifth Viking to earn the honor. Moss was another, in 1998.

It has been a splendid start to Addison's career. The 5-foot-11, 175-pound playmaker from University of Southern California produced at least six catches and 60 yards receiving in three of Minnesota's five October games.

His piéce de résistance came on Monday Night Football on Oct. 23, when he finished with seven receptions for 123 yards, including TDs of 20 and 60 yards in an upset of the San Francisco 49ers.

The 60-yarder immediately became a national highlight, because Addison stunningly turned what was about to be an interception into a long scoring play, wrestling the ball out of cornerback Charvarius Ward's hands and coasting the remaining 30 yards to the end zone.

On the sideline, cameras caught Addison holding up his hands and shrugging his shoulders a la Michael Jordan in the 1992 NBA Finals.

That night, Addison became the third Vikings rookie to go over 100 receiving yards on Monday night, joining the Hall of Famer Moss and the aforementioned superstar teammate, Justin Jefferson.

Against the 49ers, Addison, a former Tuscarora option quarterback, was also trusted enough by coach Kevin O'Connell to throw the ball on a double pass that went for a long chunk. But it got called back due to a penalty.

This past Sunday, Addison helped the Vikings knock off the rival Packers on the road with seven catches for 82 yards. He also got his first NFL carry on a reverse that went for 2 yards.

In the second half of Minnesota's 24-10 win, Addison lined up in the backfield, ran past the defense and snagged a 20-yard touchdown pass from Kirk Cousins to fuel the victory.

After faking a Lambeau leap into a horde of Packers faithful, Addison found a group of Vikings fans in the front row and completed the popular celebration on enemy grounds.

He appeared Thursday on NFL Network's "Good Morning Football," and the show put up a chart comparing the statistics of Addison and Moss through eight games. To this point, the local product has five more catches (36) and one more TD (seven) than Moss, who went on to win Offensive Rookie of the Year.

"It's unreal," Addison said. "This is one of those things that, like, it hasn't even set in yet, all the feelings and emotions. It's just crazy to see."

In October, Addison compiled 23 receptions for 297 yards and five scores as Minnesota climbed out of an 0-3 start to reach 4-4. He leads NFL rookies in TDs.

Much of that production has come after Jefferson, the reigning NFL Offensive Player of the Year, went out with a hamstring injury in the Vikings' Oct. 8 loss to Kansas City. Addison has shouldered a greater load and shown his mastery of a complex offense in taking over as the team's top receiving option.

The next test for Addison — and the Vikings — is moving on without the veteran Cousins, who tore his Achilles and was lost for the rest of the season in the win over Green Bay.

Addison hopes to continue helping Minnesota move the ball with a fellow rookie, Jaren Hall, about to start at quarterback for the first time Sunday at Atlanta.

"Whoever starts at quarterback, we've just got to make them look good," Addison told the show's hosts Thursday. "That's our job at receiver. Catch the ball, get open. We've just got to get open even more now."