A Recent Tight End Extension Should Be the Baseline for T.J. Hockenson’s Next Contract
Josh Frey
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Throughout the offseason, one of the biggest storylines of the Vikings offseason has revolved around what will happen in regard to tight end T.J. Hockenson. He is set to enter the fifth and final year of his rookie contract in 2023, and if he doesn’t get a new contract extension, he will enter free agency in March.
A big factor for what eventually happens with Hockenson is the price tag. What will it cost for the Vikings to keep him around for the long-term? Well, we may officially have a baseline for that price of Hockenson’s next contract.
On Sunday afternoon, the Jacksonville Jaguars announced that they had given their own pass-catching tight end, Evan Engram, a new three-year contract worth a total of $41.25 million, It fully guarantees $24 million of that money to the 28-year-old tight end.
Engram is coming off his first season with the Jaguars, and it was arguably the best of his six-year NFL career. He had career-highs in both receptions and receiving yards, totaling 73 receptions for 766 yards and 4 touchdowns.
Now, how does this compare to Hockenson? Well, in 2022, Hockenson put together 86 receptions in combined time with the Lions and Vikings, totaling 914 yards and 6 touchdowns. Keep in mind as well that Hockenson is two years younger than Engram, just turning 26 years old earlier this month.
As a result, it seems safe to suggest that Hockenson’s contract will at the very least match Engram’s, and in all likelihood, the price of the Vikings tight end will exceed Engram’s. Back in May, the prediction on this site was that Hockenson’s annual salary would average $15+ million.
This seems to be trending towards being correct considering Engram’s extension will pay him nearly $14 million per year, but the biggest difference between Engram and Hockenson will likely come in guaranteed money.
As previously mentioned, Engram will be given $24 million in guaranteed cash over the next three years. However, let’s take a look at the top-five TE contracts in terms of practical guaranteed cash:
- George Kittle: 5-year/$75 million ($40 million guaranteed)
- Mark Andrews: 4-year/$56 million ($37.58 million guaranteed)
- Dallas Goedert: 4-year/ $57 million ($35.17 million guaranteed)
- Kyle Pitts: 4-year/$32.91 million ($32.91 million guaranteed)
- Jonnu Smith: 4-year/$50 million ($31.25 million guaranteed)
Considering how much of a role Hockenson earned over just 10 games with the Vikings last season, we should expect him to break into this top five in terms of guaranteed money, particularly if he gets a fourth year tacked onto his extension. Even if he only gets Engram’s $8 million per year of guaranteed money, that $32 million over four years would crack into the top five.
Overall, for what Hockenson means to the Vikings offense combined with his youth, don’t expect him to come cheap. Engram’s contract with the Jaguars is just the latest evidence of this.
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.