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T.J. Hockenson

Vikings Activate T.J. Hockenson For Week 9

November 1st, 2024 at 1:52pm CST by Nikhil Mehta

The Vikings have officially activated T.J. Hockenson from the reserve/PUP list, setting up the Pro Bowl tight end to make his 2024 debut against the Colts on Sunday night.

Hockenson tore his ACL in December 2023, ending his year and sidelining him into the 2024 season. The No. 8 overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft averaged a career-high 6.3 receptions and 64.0 yards per game in his first full season in Minnesota before his injury. He was traded to the Vikings by the Lions at the 2022 deadline and earned a four-year, $66MM extension after quickly assimilating to head coach Kevin O’Connell‘s offense.

Hockenson’s return will be a massive boost to a Vikings squad that has lost their last two games after starting the season 5-0. Star left tackle Christian Darrisaw injured both his ACL and MCL in Week 8, requiring season-ending surgery that will place more pressure on quarterback Sam Darnold.

Hockenson won’t make up for Darrisaw’s absence as a blocker, but he will join Justin Jefferson, Jordan Addison, and Aaron Jones to round out one of the best pass-catching corps in the NFL. 2022 seventh-rounder Jalen Nailor has been a pleasant surprise in Minnesota this year, recording 32.7 yards per game and three touchdowns as a tertiary target for Darnold with little receiving contributions from his tight ends.

Josh Oliver and Johnny Mundt have combined for just 165 yards on 21 receptions this year. Hockenson should easily surpass their 23.6 yards per game average and add a more dynamic threat to the Vikings offense.

Vikings’ T.J. Hockenson To Debut In Week 9

October 24th, 2024 at 7:34pm CST by Sam Robinson

T.J. Hockenson will watch his teammates attempt to bring the Vikings’ record to 6-1 tonight, but he will be part of the effort against the Colts next weekend.

The Vikings will see Hockenson’s PUP-return window close Friday, and they will activate him. Hockenson will make his debut in Week 9, NFL.com’s Tom Pelissero notes. Hockenson underwent ACL surgery in late January, nearly a month after his injury, and has long been projected to make his debut around the midseason point.

Week 8 was a close call for the Vikings, as Hockenson has not suffered any setbacks on his road back. The high-priced tight end will be a significant addition to Sam Darnold‘s pass-catching crew. Darnold cited Minnesota’s supporting cast as a key reason he chose the Twin Cities — as interest came in from the Broncos and Commanders — and Hockenson will round out the Vikes’ skill-position corps.

Minnesota managed to start 5-0, beating both Houston and Green Bay en route to that point, despite Hockenson recovering from an injury sustained in Week 16 of last season. Much has changed for the Vikings since Hockenson went down, as his injury came weeks after Kirk Cousins‘ Achilles tear led to a scenario in which the Vikings started four quarterbacks. Nevertheless, Hockenson totaled career-best numbers (95 catches, 960 yards) despite missing the Vikings’ final two games.

The Vikes gave Hockenson a four -year, $66MM deal — one that checks in second in tight end AAV — just before last season, and he delivered on the contract. This season, the Vikings have used a combination of Johnny Mundt and Josh Oliver this season, but tight ends — Oliver’s opening-drive TD tonight notwithstanding — have not been used often in Minnesota’s passing game. Neither player entered tonight with more than 100 yards this season.

Hockenson spent much of last season putting up numbers without Justin Jefferson, but the team has its top two receivers (Jefferson, Jordan Addison) and running back Aaron Jones healthy in Week 8. For its Sunday-night outing against Indianapolis, Minnesota’s arsenal will be fully equipped.

Vikings TE T.J. Hockenson To Resume Practicing

October 3rd, 2024 at 9:51am CST by Adam La Rose

Shortly before the Vikings’ upcoming London game, the team will designate T.J. Hockenson for return. The Pro Bowl tight end will practice for the first time this season tomorrow, head coach Kevin O’Connell said.

Hockenson has been rehabbing the ACL and MCL tears which ended his 2023 campaign. That injury brought an abrupt end to his first full season in Minnesota, one in which he delivered career highs in receptions (95) and yards (960). Week 5 marks the first point at which he can return to practice, although an activation from the PUP list after only one session should of course not be expected.

Minnesota’s decision to open Hockenson’s return window is nevertheless a sign of his progress in rehabbing his knee. The former first-rounder will not be in the picture for Sunday’s game, and the Vikings will have their bye week following the London contest. Week 7 had been floated as a realistic return date for Hockenson, although that may no longer be the case. The Vikings’ next game after that Lions contest will be against the Rams on a Thursday, something which was taken into account regarding the timing of this decision.

“Friday gives us 21 days, and 21 days from then gives us the bye weekend, two football games with us playing on Thursday, the second week after the bye,” O’Connell said (via the team’s website). “So that gives us some flexibility at 20 days to have him either ready to go, see where he’s at and his availability for the Lions game, and then, like I said, we have the flexibility for the following [week].”

Whenever Hockenson is back on the roster, his return will be welcomed on an offense which has fared surprisingly well with Sam Darnold at quarterback. Minnesota ranks fourth in the NFL in scoring and ninth in total offense; being at full strength at the skill positions could help sustain that early success. Hockenson is attached to the four-year, $66MM extension he signed last summer which made him one of the highest-paid tight ends in the league. The Iowa product’s long-term health will thus remain a key priority for the team, but he is in line to return soon.

In another injury update, O’Connell noted guard Dalton Risner will likely not have his practice window opened this week. The 29-year-old was placed on injured reserve (but designated for return) before the roster cutdown deadline, using one of Minnesota’s eight IR activations in the process. Risner was forced to miss the first four weeks of the season as a result, but it appears he will also be sidelined for at least one more until he returns to practice.

Latest On Vikings TE T.J. Hockenson

September 29th, 2024 at 3:14pm CST by Adam La Rose

Like a number of other high-profile players, T.J. Hockenson is eligible to be activated from the PUP list in the coming days. The Vikings tight end does not have a firm return target, but he continues to make progress in his recovery.

Week 5 is the earliest Hockenson could see the field by rule, but Week 7 was reported earlier this month to be a more realistic point for him to be activated. That contest would double as an important matchup for the two-time Pro Bowler since it is against the Lions. A game against his former team would be signficant, but ESPN’s Adam Schefter reports the Detroit matchup may now be seen as an “ambitious” return date.

Schefter does add, however, that Hockenson has impressed the Vikings with his rehab progress from the ACL and MCL tears which ended his 2023 campaign. The season – his first full one in Minnesota – produced career highs in catches (95) and yards (960) along with five touchdowns. Hockenson’s absence was acutely felt on offense to close out the year, although the Vikings have surged out of the gate in 2024. Having the former first-rounder back in the fold will nevertheless give the team a notable boost.

Minnesota has a strong receiver tandem with Justin Jefferson and Jordan Addison, but the team’s tight end depth has been tested with Hockenson out of the picture. Josh Oliver logged a 50% snap share through the first three games of the season, but he registered only two catches during that span. Johnny Mundt and Nick Muse are also in place, but of course none of those options offer the upside of Hockenson.

The Iowa product is on the books through 2027 as a result of $16.5MM-per-year extension he inked last offseason. Hockenson’s long-term health is a key priority given Minnesota’s financial commitment to him, and a cautious approach would come as no surprise. Further updates on his recovery and the team’s practice plan will be worth watching closely as a return to action draws closer.

Week 7 In Play For T.J. Hockenson’s Return

September 11th, 2024 at 1:29pm CST by Nikhil Mehta

The Vikings are hoping to have Pro Bowl tight end T.J. Hockenson back before the midseason point. While not too much in the way of a timetable has emerged regarding the high-priced pass catcher ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler points to Week 7 as a potential activation point.

Hockenson started the season on the Physically Unable to Perform (PUP) list after tearing his ACL and MCL in December 2023. The 2022 trade acquisition is eligible to be activated from the PUP list after four weeks, but his ongoing rehab may keep him sidelined for a few extra weeks. Considering Minnesota’s bye comes in Week 6, it makes for a natural onramp ahead of a potential debut.

Despite missing the last two games of the 2023 season, Hockenson recorded career-high marks in receptions (95) and receiving yards (960) in his first full season with the Vikings. The former top-10 pick arrived in Minnesota from Detroit in a 2022 deadline deal and smoothly assimilated into Kevin O’Connell‘s offense. Hockenson impressed the Vikings’ front office enough to earn a four-year, $63.5MM extension ahead of last season, making him the highest-paid tight end in the NFL before the Chiefs gave Travis Kelce a raise this offseason.

Hockenson’s absence has left the Vikings thin at tight end. Josh Oliver, a former third-round pick who mainly profiles as a blocker, has taken over as the starter. Behind Oliver are veteran Johnny Mundt, who has just 48 catches across an eight-year career, and 2022 seventh-round pick Nick Muse, who has just one career reception.

That lack of tight end depth did not hamper the Vikings in their Week 1 win over the Giants. A stellar defensive showing and efficient games from quarterback Sam Darnold and running back Aaron Jones carried Minnesota to a 28-6 victory.

Darnold, however, signed with the Vikings due in large part to their offensive weaponry. The former Jets and Panthers starter worked with All-Pro Justin Jefferson, former Pro Bowler Aaron Jones and 2023 first-rounder Jordan Addison. Hockenson will round out a stellar Vikings skill-position corps, giving the free agent QB addition a better chance to succeed in what now profiles — after J.J. McCarthy‘s season-ending injury — as an interesting audition year.

NFC Restructures: Hockenson, Giants, Saints

September 8th, 2024 at 8:15pm CST by Ely Allen

The Vikings were in an uncomfortable position entering the season with less than $1MM in salary cap space. Such a low allowance would restrict the team in making any deadline or practice squad additions, so it was necessary for the team to rework somebody’s contract in order to free up a bit of cap space.

That player happened to be tight end T.J. Hockenson, per Ben Goessling of The Minnesota Star Tribune. While the exact details are unavailable at the moment, the Vikings converted a good amount of Hockenson’s $9.9MM base salary in 2024 into a signing bonus. The move cleared up around $7.92MM of cap space. They avoided utilizing a void year at the end of his contract to stash future cap since he already had one in his previous deal.

Here are a few other restructures from around the NFC:

  • The Giants also looked to restructure a veteran’s contract on the eve of the season, choosing to rework the deal of linebacker Bobby Okereke, according to ESPN’s Field Yates. The team converted $6.78MM of Okereke’s 2024 salary into a signing bonus. The move cleared up $4.51MM of cap space for New York this season.
  • Lastly, we recently mentioned that New Orleans worked to restructure the contract of tight end Juwan Johnson to clear up $3.5MM of cap space. Katherine Terrell of ESPN provided a few more details on the reworked deal, informing that the team converted $4.38MM of Johnson’s 2024 base salary into a signing bonus and added one additional void year to the end of his contract in order to achieve their desired result. In effect, his cap impact with the Saints was reduced from $7.01MM to $3.51MM.

Vikings Cut Robert Tonyan, Kene Nwangwu To Move Down To 53

August 27th, 2024 at 9:10pm CST by Sam Robinson

The Vikings will begin the season without T.J. Hockenson. In addition to the standout tight end, Minnesota will be without some other notable names. Here is how the Vikings trimmed their roster to 53:

Released:

Waived:

Waived/injured:

  • WR Malik Knowles

Placed on season-ending IR:

Placed on IR/return designation:

The Vikings were taking calls on both Nwangwu and Roy, according to NFL.com’s Mike Garafolo and Tom Pelissero. Minnesota gave Roy’s agent a change to find a trade partner. Neither effort came to fruition, and the duo ventured to waivers. Nwangwu is an interesting cut, as he is the rare kick returner who thrived under the old kickoff setup in its final years. The former fourth-round pick totaled three kick-return TDs from 2021-22. The Vikings could not find room for him, with the Minneapolis Star Tribune’s Ben Goessling noting his issues catching on as a pure running back mattered. He has only totaled 27 carries over the past two seasons. A 2023 fifth-rounder, Roy played 96 defensive snaps last season.
Despite Hockenson heading to the reserve/PUP list, the Vikings moved Tonyan off their roster. The rare player to complete a full division sweep, the NFC North veteran signed with the Vikings this offseason. Minnesota only gave the ex-Green Bay, Chicago and Detroit tight end $150K guaranteed. The team still has Johnny Mundt and blocking specialist Josh Oliver at the position. Best known for his 11-touchdown 2020 season, Tonyan also caught 53 passes in 2022. He was not used often in Chicago, however, and Minnesota does not look to have the veteran in its plans.
Wright arrived recently in a trade from the Cowboys. Minnesota sent Dallas former second-round pick Andrew Booth in exchange for Wright, who had one season left on his rookie contract. This has been a rough month for Kwesi Adofo-Mensah‘s first draft; the team waived the player it landed for Booth and cut 2022 first-rounder Lewis Cine as well.
Risner and Murphy can return after four games. The Vikings will move their injury-activation count from eight to six, however, as both players already count toward Minnesota’s regular-season limit. Risner started 11 games with the Vikes last season and re-signed this offseason.

Vikings To Move TE T.J. Hockenson To Reserve/PUP List

August 27th, 2024 at 8:11am CST by Sam Robinson

Kevin O’Connell has labeled T.J. Hockenson as ahead of schedule on his rehab from ACL and MCL tears, but the standout Vikings tight end was not expected to begin the season on time. He will not do so, the team ensured Tuesday.

Minnesota is shifting Hockenson from the active/PUP list to the reserve/PUP list, per ESPN.com’s Adam Schefter. This anticipated transaction will sideline the veteran pass catcher for at least the season’s first four games.

Hockenson will join J.J. McCarthy as key Minnesota offensive pieces out of the equation in September. Unlike the first-round quarterback, however, Hockenson will be expected to return this season. Hockenson nearly reached 1,000 receiving yards last year, after having signed a lucrative Vikings extension, but the knee maladies intervened. The former Lions top-10 draftee went down in Week 16, and the setback will indeed affect his 2024 slate.

Sam Darnold will still have Justin Jefferson and Jordan Addison to target to open the season, unless the latter receives a suspension for his DUI arrest before that point, but the bridge QB should have Hockenson at his disposal before too long. The sixth-year tight end went down on Christmas Eve; this PUP transaction will move his recovery past the nine-month point. That is standard for ACL tears, with Adrian Peterson‘s historic 2012 comeback in Minnesota one of the exceptions.

Hockenson, 27, amassed 960 yards last season, doing so despite not making it through Week 16. Also getting there as the Vikings completed a season in which they started four quarterbacks, Hockenson quickly showed he was worthy of the top-market extension he signed. The Vikings will give him time to recapture that form; the Iowa alum is signed through the 2027 season. Johnny Mundt, Josh Oliver and free agency addition Robert Tonyan, who has completed the NFC North sweep by being aligned with Minnesota, headline Minnesota’s tight end group for the time being.

Vikings’ T.J. Hockenson Could Miss Start Of Season; Latest On J.J. McCarthy

August 15th, 2024 at 1:56pm CST by Sam Robinson

The Vikings’ big-picture plan features J.J. McCarthy targeting the likes of Justin Jefferson, Jordan Addison and T.J. Hockenson. That vision is on hold, with the rookie out for the season due to meniscus surgery. Minnesota might not have all its skill-position pieces to open the campaign, either.

Hockenson sustained ACL and MCL tears in Week 16 last season. While Kevin O’Connell has classified the veteran tight end as ahead of schedule, it is far from certain he starts the season on time. The former Lions first-rounder remains on the Vikings’ active/PUP list, and ESPN.com’s Kevin Seifert indicates the team setting its initial 53-man roster without its starting tight end included is in play.

Minnesota could shift Hockenson to the reserve/PUP list, which mandates a four-game absence to open the year. This route would prevent the Vikings from needing to use one of their eight regular-season IR activations. The Vikings could also go week to week with their top tight end, activating him from the active/PUP list and declaring him out to start the season. This would allow Minnesota to deploy Hockenson before Week 4, if he is ready, but he would take up a roster spot in that scenario.

Eight months have not even passed since Hockenson’s injury, and although players have recovered from late-season ACL tears in time for Week 1 (a certain former Vikings running back-turned-MVP comes to mind), teams regularly play it safe here. Hockenson signed a four-year, $66MM extension just before last season and was on track for a 1,000-yard showing before going down. The five-year veteran finished with 960 yards and five touchdowns, despite Kirk Cousins‘ midseason injury. Hockenson, 27, will be a critical piece of Minnesota’s Darnold-led offense upon return.

Darnold was expected to start to open the season, but McCarthy was unlikely to sit a full year. The Vikings now have no choice, and even though ESPN.com’s Jeremy Fowler notes the rookie’s timetable could allow for a late-season re-emergence, it is unlikely the team takes this route. Given the investment in the Michigan prospect, it should be expected the team shelves him for his rookie year to protect him in the long term. McCarthy missing all of 2024 will make him the first Round 1 QB to do so in the common draft era (1967-present), per CBS Sports.

McCarthy’s timetable may not allow him to play with Aaron Jones, who signed a one-year deal worth $7MM in March. Jones’ year-to-year status may point him elsewhere by 2025, depending on how the longtime Packer’s Vikings season goes. Jones’ role will be interesting to monitor, as Green Bay consistently put him as the 1-A option in timeshares with Jamaal Williams and then AJ Dillon. Minnesota might have the same idea.

Ty Chandler is expected to platoon with Jones, per SI.com’s Albert Breer, with the team viewing this setup as an upgrade on its Alexander Mattison-dependent 2023 plan. That said, the Minneapolis Star Tribune’s Andrew Krammer adds Jones is the unquestioned starter.

One of this era’s best running backs, Jones has never eclipsed 236 carries in a season; the former fifth-round pick has passed 200 totes just three times in his seven-year run. Williams and Dillon cut into the dual-threat talent’s workload, though Jones rarely left doubt about who the Packers’ most dangerous RB was. Jones will also turn 30 before season’s end and missed six games last season, so it would not surprise to see Chandler — a 2022 fifth-round pick who impressed late last season — carve out a decent workload in a Vikings effort to conserve their new starter.

Vikings Place T.J. Hockenson On PUP List; TE Ahead Of Schedule In Rehab

July 22nd, 2024 at 2:39pm CST by Adam La Rose

T.J. Hockenson saw his first full Vikings season cut short by ACL and MCL tears. The Pro Bowl tight end will begin training camp on the active/PUP list as he continues to rehab, the team announced on Monday.

That move comes as little surprise. The injury occurred in December, and more than one month elapsed before Hockenson’s surgery took place. Players placed on the active/PUP list can be activated at any time, but Minnesota will no doubt proceed with caution regarding his recovery. Hockenson’s rehab process has been positive to date, though.

“T.J. will begin training camp on the PUP list,” head coach Kevin O’Connell confirmed when speaking to the media on Monday (video link). “He’s well ahead of schedule from a standpoint of some of the benchmarks on his rehab. T.J., looking back at the offseason program, did not miss really a day outside going to see his surgeon in Los Angeles. He was here every single day and that continued through the summer.

“The significant injury that it was, we want to make sure to follow our plan to when T.J. gets on the field and continues to do more and more throughout training camp, and hopefully at some point when he’s ready to go we want to make sure everything is done the right way for T.J., because he’s such a significant part of our organization.”

Upon trading for Hockenson midway through the 2022 season, Minnesota has seen the expected return from a production standpoint. The 27-year-old signed an extension last August averaging $16.5MM per season, and he posted a 95-960-5 statline in 15 games prior to the injury. Hockenson is under contract through 2027, so his long-term health is an obvious priority for team and player in his case. As things stand, though, he could find himself back on the field earlier than expected.

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