T.J. Hockenson and the Vikings’ Sneaky 2027 Offseason Need
Earlier this offseason, T.J. Hockenson got his Vikings contract revised by the team. The revision essentially wiped out his 2027 void year, making 2026 now the final year of his deal. This little tweak saved the Vikings a little over $5 million in cap space. If they were to have just released him earlier this offseason, they would’ve saved in the neighborhood of $8.5-$9 million. Instead, they opted to take on that roughly $4 million difference and include him in their efforts this season.
Now with their starting tight end essentially on the chopping block, Minnesota will have to figure out a succession plan at some point early next offseason.
Or…maybe not?
T.J. Hockenson’s Replacement Could Already Be on the Roster
The Vikings actually already have quite the full tight end room, so there is a techincal non-zero chance that T.J. Hockenson’s successor is already in Minnesota.
Josh Oliver is the TE2 to Hockenson, although if you ask me, I don’t really know what Hockenson does much better than Oliver to be the starter, other than the higher paycheck. Oliver is more-so known as a blocking tight end, but he has shown some chops in the receiving game for Minnesota as well. Personally, if they wanted to go with Oliver as the starter in 2027 to band-aid the position, then I don’t think we would notice much of a difference with him in it instead of Hockenson.
Further down the depth chart, we find Gavin Bartholomew and Benjamin Yurosek. Bartholomew was a sixth-round selection in the 2025 NFL Draft out of Pittsburgh, We don’t know too much about his NFL game yet, though, as he missed the entire 2025 season due to a lower-back injury. He is now back practicing, and should be full-go for the 2026 season. Yurosek was a 2025 UDFA, and he didn’t really get any playing time last season either. Still, one of these gentlemen could be the subject of some behind-the-scenes plotting from the Vikings for the future.
Even further down the depth chart are Bryson Nesbit and Marshall Lang. Nesbit was a 2025 UDFA out of UNC, and signed a future/reserves contract with the Vikings back in January. Lang is a new addition to the T.J. Hockenson-led unit, as he just signed with the squad on June 16th after being released from the Seattle Seahawks. These gentlemen, of course, don’t really have a great shot at being the starting tight end for the team at any point.
T.J. Hockenson Replacement Possibilities That Aren’t Currently on the Roster
The Vikings could look to free agency next season to replace T.J. Hockenson. Here’s some names to keep an eye on next offseason that are projected unrestricted free agents:
- Evan Engram (DEN)
- Hunter Henry (NE)
- Dallas Goedert (PHI)
- Colby Parkinson (LAR)
- Tommy Tremble (CAR)
The 2027 TE free agency pool isn’t much to write home about. The good thing is that free agency comes before the draft, and there are some names to keep an eye on in the 2027 NFL Draft as well.
- Trey’Dez Green (LSU)
- Jamari Johnson (Oregon)
- Peter Clarke (Temple)
- Terrance Carter Jr. (Texas Tech)
- Brody Foley (Louisville)
- Luke Reynolds (VT)
The main question surrounding the Vikings’ need for a T.J. Hockenson replacement in 2027 is about how much they want to spend. They didn’t get a great ROI on the Hockenson deal, so they could be scared off from putting a large investment into the position again.
