Just over a year since he was arrested after police found him asleep behind the wheel of a car in Los Angeles, and after a delay from a jury trial date earlier this week as plea discussions continued, Minnesota Vikings wide receiver Jordan Addison had his day in court related to a DUI charge on Thursday.
Addison pleaded guilty to a lesser charge to resolve the citation, weirdly tabbed a "wet reckless" by his attorneys. In California, that means he pleaded no contest to reckless driving with the involvement of alcohol. He will have to pay a fine and take two online courses. ESPN's Kevin Seifert subsequently reported it will be a $390 fine, and Addison will also be placed on probation for 12 months.
Upon the legal aspect of Addison's case being resolved, the expectation of a suspension from the NFL now moves to the front burner as Vikings' training camp approaches. For a first-time DUI offense, the league's policy on substances of abuse (h/t to Seifert) partially reads this way:
"Absent aggravating circumstances, discipline for a first offense will be a suspension without pay of three regular or postseason games."
Seifert passed along a statement from the NFL saying it has been monitoring developments in Addison's situation and the matter remains "under review."
Suspension could be very costly for Minnesota Vikings WR Jordan Addison
Based on history, along with the plain words of the league's policy, three games have always been the expectation for Addison's suspension. More than that would be surprising and seen as excessive. He would be allowed to appeal any suspension, but a reduction from three games would be unlikely.
Addison will, of course, be suspended without pay, forfeiting his salary from the affected games. With a base salary a little shy of $1.6 million for this year ($1,598,340), that breaks down to $88,796.66 per game and a total of $266,390 (a clean one-sixth of his base salary for the season).
Michael Ginnitti of Spotrac offered that lost salary number for Addison, while adding another significant financial implication to a looming suspension.
"Vikings WR Jordan Addison stands to forfeit over $88,000 per game missed due to suspension, and the full guarantee on his 2 years, $4.6M remaining would void."
Addison has $4.6 million in total fully guaranteed salary in the final two years of his contract, this year and 2026, and that will be completely voided if/when he is suspended. The Vikings also have a decision to make on his fifth-year option next spring, and a potential contract extension is lurking beyond that.
So, on the expectation of a three-game suspension, Addison will lose a little less than $4.9 million immediately. To say nothing of how missing three games will negatively impact his production this year, followed potentially by the value of his fifth-year option (which can be boosted by playing time and Pro Bowl nods), and finally, what he could command in a contract extension down the road.
Addison finally has the legal aspect of his DUI case behind him, which is a good thing. But the future financial implications are unavoidably coming.