Vikings news: Addison clears up controversy, Jefferson milestone, Hockenson update

To say last week was a wild one for the Minnesota Vikings would almost be an understatement.

After starting this 2024 campaign with a perfect 5-0 record, their sixth such start in the last 27 years, the most of any NFL team during that stretch, Kevin O'Connell's crew suffered their first loss in Week 7 to the rival Detroit Lions. And just four days later, they dropped a second straight game, losing to the Los Angeles Rams on Thursday Night Football to kick off Week 8.

One could say the Vikings suffered two losses this past Thursday, as superstar left tackle Christian Darrisaw exited the game with less than a minute remaining in the first half with a left knee injury. The team's worst fears were confirmed on Friday when an MRI revealed MCL and ACL damage, which will force Darrisaw to miss the remainder of the season.

That big news essentially overshadowed the good news the Vikings got on Friday involving tight end T.J. Hockenson, which we'll get to in just a moment. That same news was then buried a second time when wideout Jordan Addison sparked all sorts of controversy with an Instagram post over the weekend that many believed implied he wanted to be traded.

The Vikes did catch a little break on Sunday, though. While they had to watch the Lions and Green Bay Packers win, the latter victory knocking Minnesota down to third place in the NFC North, they avoided falling to last place in the division when the Washington Commanders stunned the Chicago Bears on Jayden Daniels' miraculous last-second Hail Mary.

That's a lot for a one-week stretch, don't you think? We'll get to two of the topics mentioned above, but we'll first kick things off with a little fun news surrounding the Vikings' most high-profile player, that, of course, being Justin Jefferson.

Justin Jefferson moved into the top five in all-time Vikings receiving yards

Given that Minnesota lost to the Rams and then lost Darrisaw for the season, another little nugget that got somewhat overshadowed was the fact that Justin Jefferson moved into the top five on the franchise's all-time receiving yardage list.

With the first of his eight catches against Los Angeles, the three-time Pro Bowler surpassed Jake Reed to take over the No. 5 slot, and if he has a big night against the Indianapolis Colts in Week 9, he could move to No. 4.

Now with 6,545 receiving yards for his career, Jefferson is just 137 yards behind longtime fan favorite Adam Thielen, who racked up 6,682 yards during his nine-year run in Minnesota. Thielen, a two-time Pro Bowler in his own right, accumulated those yards in 135 regular-season games for the Vikings. Jefferson has amassed his in just 67.

Jordan Addison clears up his controversial "Free 3" post

As mentioned, Jordan Addison caused quite a stir over the weekend with an Instagram post, one that said "Free 3," clearly referring to his jersey number.

Naturally, many assumed that Addison, who had 70 catches for 911 yards and 10 touchdowns as a rookie a season ago, was unhappy with his touches, which are down this season. Yes, he missed two games with an injury, which obviously affects the overall number, but his per-game target average last year was roughly 6.4. In five games this season, that number has dropped to 4.6.

Speaking to the media on Monday, Addison cleared up the controversy, stating that he started using that phrase during his freshman season at Pitt in 2020, even posting a screenshot as proof.

He says that he has no issues with how he's used in the Vikings offense, and that was that.

T.J. Hockenson has been activated and is expected to suit up for the Vikings in Week 9 against the Colts

Somewhat lost in the shuffle between the Vikings' loss to LA, Darrisaw's injury, and Addison's controversy was the announcement that two-time Pro Bowl tight end T.J. Hockenson has been officially activated from the Reserve/PUP list to Minnesota's 53-man roster.

Hockenson has been out of action since tearing the MCL and ACL in his right knee last December against the Lions. There were hopes that he might return to play his former team in Week 7 or against the Rams in Week 8, but the team opted to wait until right before his practice window was set to expire this past Friday.

Hockenson led the Vikings in targets a season ago before his injury with 127 and ultimately caught a team-high 95 passes for 960 yards with five touchdowns. He is expected to play against the Colts on Sunday Night Football and gives Sam Darnold another weapon against an Indianapolis defense that's allowed 379.6 total yards per game this season, the fifth-most in the NFL.