T.J. Hockenson Is Approaching Another Vikings Record
Josh Frey
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T.J. Hockenson became the highest-paid tight end in NFL history this offseason, and he has been living up to his price point.
The Vikings tight end recently broke Minnesota’s single-season record for receptions by a player at the position, and now, he is quickly approaching another Vikings tight end record: the single-season receiving yards record.
T.J. Hockenson on the Path to Vikings History
Currently, Hockenson sits at 902 receiving yards for the year following a 63-yard performance on Saturday against the Cincinnati Bengals.
With three games remaining, Hockenson needs just 103 yards to surpass Joe Senser for the Vikings tight end receiving record. Senser totaled 1004 receiving yards during the 1981 season, a record that has stood for 42 seasons.
Ironically, Hockenson will go up against his former team, the Detroit Lions, in Week 16 as he attempts to break the record. Minnesota acquired the tight end via trade at the deadline last year, and since then, he has done nothing but surpass expectations.
In 10 games with the Vikings during the 2022 season, Hockenson put together 60 receptions for 519 receiving yards as well as three touchdowns. Over 17 games, this is a pace of about 102 receptions for 882 yards and 5 TDs.
Hockenson is on pace to crush those numbers, and already has reached both the receiving yardage and touchdown totals this season.
This performance has come at the perfect time as well, considering Justin Jefferson missed seven games due to a hamstring injury during the middle of the season. During that stretch, Hockenson totaled at least 50 receiving yards in each game and had five or more receptions in six of them.
The Vikings sit on the border of the playoffs right now, holding a 7-7 record and possession of the No. 6 seed in the NFC. Minnesota will need big games from Hockenson down the stretch in order to secure a spot in the tournament in January.
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Josh Frey is a Class of 2020 graduate of The College of Idaho and managing editor of PurplePTSD.com. When he’s not writing about the NFL, Josh enjoys running, gaming, or rooting for the Milwaukee Brewers and Bucks. Check out his Twitter account: @Freyed_Chicken.