T.J. Hockenson’s four-year, $66 million extension reset the tight end market, signaling his value to the Minnesota Vikings.
They had traded a 2023 second-round pick and a 2024 third-rounder for Hockenson and fourth-round picks in 2023 and 2024. Extending him was the final step. They had Justin Jefferson, their No. 1 receiver, and took Jordan Addison with the 23rd pick earlier that year. Hockenson completed their offensive trifecta, signing after “holding in” during training camp.
“Our hopes were that we were acquiring a player that would become a major part of our offense moving forward,” Kevin O’Connell said. “We saw the immediate impact over those 10 games — 11 games. We’ve been able to build on T.J.’s role here, and really have a great process in the offseason of what it’s really going to look like in our offensive system for a major player like T.J. to be a part of it.”
The Detroit Lions traded Hockenson to Minnesota on Nov. 1, 2022, and he proved to be a quick study. Kirk Cousins targeted him nine times in a 20-17 win in Washington, and he caught all nine balls for 70 yards. He finished the year with 60 receptions for 519 yards in Minnesota. Hockenson had a 77-yard game in his return to Detroit and 109 yards on 13 receptions against the New York Giants in the regular season.
After signing his extension, Hockenson played 15 games last year and finished with 960 yards. He probably would have crossed the 1,000-yard mark had former teammate Kerby Joseph not hit him in the knee in Minnesota’s Week 16 game against the Lions. Hockenson blamed the league’s lack of rules on low hits, not Joseph, for the injury, which required surgery.
Hockenson returned for Minnesota’s Week 8 game against the Indianapolis Colts, a 21-13 win where he had three catches for 27 yards. He also had eight receptions for 72 yards in Jacksonville.
Still, Hockenson played less than half the snaps in his first three games back. There was no reason to rush him back into action. Minnesota was matching up against AFC South teams, and Josh Oliver was playing well. He had five catches for 58 yards against Indianapolis and four for 52 against the Jacksonville Jaguars.
However, Oliver suffered an ankle injury against the Tennessee Titans, and Hockenson played 68% of the snaps in Chicago, a 20% increase from Minnesota’s game in Nashville. The Chicago Bears focused on taking away Jefferson, which allowed Jordan Addison (162 yards) and Hockenson (114) to have big days.
Hockenson showed he was a viable threat if teams focused on Jefferson. He also left no doubt that he had recovered from his ACL injury. In November, Hockenson said that his snap count in the first three games was related to having tight end depth and not acclimating to playing after missing time.
“It’s kind of what I thought was going to happen,” he said before the Titans game. “There’s not really a rhyme or a reason for that kind of stuff. It’s just kind of trying to use all of us in the tight end room.”
The Vikings use Hockenson to block on run plays, and it’s not like they’ve ignored him in the passing game. Still, Minnesota targeted Hockenson 10-plus times in four games in 2022 and 2023, but his season-high is nine (twice) this year.
In 2022, the Vikings targeted him 16 times against the New York Giants and 12 against the Seattle Seahawks (for a season-high 179 yards) and Green Bay Packers. Last year, they targeted him 15 times against the New Orleans Saints (for a season-high 134 yards), 12 against the San Francisco 49ers and Atlanta Falcons, and 11 against the Los Angeles Chargers.
Last week, Sam Darnold targeted Hockenson five times, the same number he threw to Aaron Jones.
Hockenson isn’t Minnesota’s No. 1 option. Jefferson is likely the first read on most plays. Addison has also had big games against Chicago and Atlanta. Perhaps Hockenson’s value is his presence. He’s a viable third-down target who can make a contested catch when Jefferson is covered and Darnold needs an outlet.
Still, the Vikings could use Hockenson early in games to get Darnold into rhythm, and he should see a few more passes on third down. Hockenson doesn’t seem to mind, though. While Jefferson wants to be central to Minnesota’s game plan and compete with Ja’Marr Chase for receiving records, Hockenson has never mentioned target or yardage thresholds.
Hockenson may know his value to the team, regardless of counting numbers. The Vikings traded for him and extended him on a record-breaking deal. To borrow a phrase, he knows what the dollars represent. Andy Reid has Travis Kelce, and Kyle Shanahan has George Kittle. O’Connell has Hockenson. His usage says more about where Minnesota is at as an offense than what he has to offer it.