Report: Vikings TE T.J. Hockenson Wants to “Reset” the TE Market
Over the past couple of weeks, we haven’t seen much of T.J. Hockenson at Vikings practices.
The Vikings TE was dealing with an ear infection for awhile, and then, during Kevin O’Connell’s press conference on Tuesday afternoon, he revealed that Hockenson has been working through a back injury.
Then, later in the evening, more reports surfaced indicating that the injuries may not be the only motivator behind Hockenson’s absence. Dianna Russini of The Athletic tweeted on Tuesday, “The Vikings and tight end T.J. Hockenson have been working on an extension, but both sides are far apart, per league sources. Hockenson wants to reset the market with a historic contract extension for tight ends. He has been limited at practice because of an ear infection and back soreness.”
While the ailments are very real for Hockenson, it always seemed a bit strange that an ear infection would keep him sidelined for so long. The back soreness likely explains much of that, but Russini’s tweet clarifies the rest: the tight end wants more financial security.
Don’t get things twisted: Hockenson’s desire for a new contract is certainly warranted. After being acquired via trade by the Vikings, the tight end was a massive portion of Minnesota’s offense over the closing stretch of the 2022 season.
In 10 regular season games with the team, Hockenson caught 60 passes for 519 yards and 3 TDs. During the Wild Card game against the Giants, he had 10 receptions for 129 yards.
2023 is the final year of Hockenson’s rookie contract, and if he doesn’t get a new extension soon, he will hit free agency next spring and be able to sign with any NFL team. His total cash in 2023 of $9.392 million is 12th among all tight ends in the NFL, right behind Taysom Hill at $9.9 million.
If Hockenson were to reset the TE market, it would involve surpassing Evan Engram’s recent contract extension that was a three-year deal worth $41.25 million with $24 million guaranteed. However, while Engram just had his best career season at age-27, Hockenson still surpassed him statistically and is two years younger than him.
Engram had career-highs in both receptions and receiving yards during 2022, totaling 73 receptions for 766 yards and 4 touchdowns. Hockenson had higher totals across the board.
The Jaguars TE wasn’t the only player to recently get an extension, though. Within the NFC North, Bears TE Cole Kmet got an even larger contract worth $50 million over four years. It also guarantees $32.8 million for Kmet.
Meanwhile, the largest contract among tight ends in terms of guaranteed money currently belongs to George Kittle. He inked a five-year deal worth $75 million and got $40 million in guarantees. If Hockenson is looking to reset the market, this likely is the contract that he has his eyes on.
Things could get a bit tricky for the Vikings if Hockenson wants this much money considering they still have to give Justin Jefferson a contract. They currently don’t have a starting QB signed for the 2024 season, either. Hopefully, the two sides are able to come together on an agreement, so the tight end remains in a Vikings uniform for years to come.
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.
