Latest Scoop on T.J. Hockenson’s Recovery Is Relatively Positive
Josh Frey
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Last Christmas Eve, the Minnesota Vikings found themselves essentially in a “do or die” situation when they took on the Detroit Lions in Week 16.
Of course, Minnesota ultimately lost the game and their chance at back-to-back NFC North crowns, but perhaps most notably, they lost star tight end T.J. Hockenson down the stretch of the game with a torn ACL and MCL suffered on a tackle made by Lions safety Kerby Joseph.
Since then, many Vikings fans have wondered whether the tight end, who got a massive contract extension last offseason, will be ready to go heading into the 2024 season. The latest update on Hockenson’s recovery is relatively positive as OTAs approach.
The Latest on T.J. Hockenson’s Recovery
The Athletic’s Alec Lewis wrote last week, “Hockenson is ahead of schedule in his rehab, but the Vikings are committed to ensuring he is fully healthy before he plays. Last year’s contract cemented the team’s belief that he is one of its cornerstone players. You don’t rush a player like that back from an injury this severe.”
Indeed, it makes sense for the Vikings not to try and bring back Hockenson too quickly this year. The tight end has the second-largest contract at the position in the entire NFL, and he is much more valuable to Minnesota as a fully healthy player.
Back in April following Minnesota’s first voluntary workout of the offseason, the tight end himself said that he wouldn’t be putting a timeline on his return to the field. “I think anything is possible obviously. I’m definitely not going to put a timeline on it just because I haven’t really looked at the whole aspect of things,” Hockenson explained at the time.
As a result, between his own update and this latest one from Lewis, it appears that Hockenson remains a good bit away from being able to get back on the field. However, there has been no mention of any hiccups in his recovery nor the allusion to any idea that it could take longer than expected for the Pro Bowler to get back onto the field.
For now, it appears everything remains on track for whatever plan the Vikings and their training staff initially laid out for Hockenson this offseason.
It isn’t as if the Vikings are lacking in terms of tight end talent, either. Josh Oliver is one of the better blocking tight ends in the entire NFL and came into the NFL known as a receiver throughout his stint at San Jose State. Meanwhile, head coach Kevin O’Connell has also called Johnny Mundt the best TE3 in the NFL in the past.
The assumption among Vikings fans likely should be that Hockenson will miss at least a portion of the 2024 season because of his injury, but Minnesota’s depth is more than capable of picking up the slack.
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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.