Jordan Addison spoke his ‘wildest dreams’ into existence. It led him to the Vikings.

Jordan Addison was a freshman at the University of Pittsburgh when he first met Brennan Marion. At the time, Addison was a rising star with the Panthers, and Marion had recently been hired as the program’s receivers coach. As they got to know each other, the conversation veered toward what Addison hoped to accomplish in the future.
“He gave me some average goals,” Marion said. “I told him to come back tomorrow with his wildest dreams.”
In response, Addison dreamed as big as he possibly could, returning to Marion the next day with ambition coursing through his veins.
He wanted to win the Biletnikoff Award, which is given annually to the best receiver in college football. He wanted to bring a conference championship to Pittsburgh for the first time in more than a decade. He wanted to walk across the stage and dap up NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell after getting drafted in the first round.
Anything else?
“He wanted his whole family to live on the same street,” Marion said. “He wanted to set them up for life.”
A couple of years later, Addison has a Biletnikoff Award to his name, Pittsburgh has an ACC championship in its trophy case, and the Vikings have a rookie receiver they selected in the first round of the 2023 NFL Draft.
If his NFL debut this past weekend is any indication, it’s only a matter of time until Addison brings generational wealth to his family with a big contract. He finished Game 1 of his professional career with four receptions for 60 yards and a touchdown for the Vikings against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, injecting even more life into an already-potent offense, and proving to be the player Marion knew he could be all along.
“After I coached him, I knew I would never have to worry about what he was going do with the rest of his life,” Marion said. “He put in his mind that year that he was going to be the best possible player he could be.”
What does Addison have planned for an encore in Thursday’s primetime game between the Vikings and Eagles in Philadelphia?
“Whoever lines up in front of me, I’ve got to make sure I win that matchup,” Addison said. “That’s how I look at it. It’s simple. Just beat the guy in front of me.”
It comes across so matter-of-factly because that’s what Addison has been doing ever since he arrived at TCO Performance Center. He was easily the best player at rookie minicamp this spring, and while missed organized team activities with a minor injury, Addison was a standout at training camp this summer.
Vikings rookie receiver Jordan Addison
Asked before last week how he knew Addison was ready, quarterback Kirk Cousins referenced his consistent production in practice.
“He continues to make athletic plays and show that he’s just a natural receiver,” Cousins said. “I’m excited to see him become a part of our offense.”
It took about 20 minutes of game time for Addison to introduce himself to the rest of the league. He lined up on the outside alongside star receiver Justin Jefferson and was left uncovered after Buccaneers cornerback Carlton Davis III got caught cheating on an out route.
“I turned around and everything slowed down,” Addison said. “The ball was in the air and then I made the play.”
As he celebrated his touchdown in the end zone, Addison casually tossed the ball to the ground when his teammates joined in.
“He remembered to get the ball,” Jefferson said with a laugh. “I ain’t even have to remind him.”
As soon as Addison got back to the sideline, he handed the ball to head equipment manager Mike Parson. A couple of days later, Addison proudly showed off the ball, saying he’s going to put it in a case and display it prominently in his home.
No plans to send it to anybody specific?
“Nah,” Addison said with grin. “I’ve got to keep this one.”
Luckily for his family, there will be many more to come as his role in the offense expands. It seems as if that could happen rather quickly for Addison after such an impressive start to his NFL career.
Talking to reporters this week, offensive coordinator Wes Phillips basically confirmed as much, lauding Addison for the impact he made whenever he got his chance.
“It didn’t surprise me,” Phillips said. “I saw what I’ve seen since he’s been here. It’s not too big for him. He’s comfortable playing football in this league.”
None of this comes as a shock to Marion. Now the offensive coordinator at UNLV — with wildest dreams of his own — he can still effortlessly recall snapshot moments from the year they shared together.
There was the time Addison scored a late touchdown on the road against Tennessee and rubbed it in by hopscotching on the checkerboard in the end zone in Knoxville, Tenn. There was the time Addison took over against Duke, breaking loose for a long receiving touchdown, then adding a short rushing touchdown for the heck of it. There was the time he put the team on his back against Virginia, hauling in 14 receptions for 202 yards and four touchdowns.
“I remember late in that game, he came up to me and asked, ‘What should I do?’ ” Marion said. “I told him to do the same (expletive) thing he’d been doing.”
On the very next play, Addison adjusted to an underthrown pass from Pitt quarterback Kenny Pickett, ripped the ball out of the defender’s hands and raced 62 yards for a touchdown that effectively sent Pittsburgh to the ACC Championship Game.
“He ran back to the sideline, like, ‘I called (expletive) game,’ ” Marion said. “It brought a damn tear to my eye. That’s what I’m talking about with Jordan. The players have to go out and make the plays at the end of the day, and he made them every single time.”
In total, Addison finished with 100 receptions for 1,593 yards and 17 touchdowns at Pitt, winning the Biletnikoff Award and leading the Panthers to an ACC championship.
Just like he said he would.
He entered the transfer portal after that, posting 59 receptions for 875 yards and eight touchdowns for USC before declaring for the 2023 NFL Draft.
Now he’s already making a name for himself with the Vikings, and it appears the sky is the limit for him.
“He has the ability to run great routes and the ability to make those big plays when they come,” Jefferson said. “Just the potential that he has in this offense to make us even better is going to be great.”
Looking back on it now, the conversation between Addison and Marion from a few years ago wasn’t so much a thought experiment in goal setting, as it was a player telling a coach exactly what was about to happen.
To that point, Marion couldn’t help but laugh, replying, “Everything he told me that day, he went out and did.”
Time for a new set of wildest dreams.