Jan 8, 2023; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Minnesota Vikings tight end T.J. Hockenson (87) walks off the field after the game against the Chicago Bears at Soldier Field. Mandatory Credit: Daniel Bartel-USA TODAY Sports.
A Minnesota Vikings matter lingering for months is over.
The franchise opted to make T.J. Hockenson the richest tight end in NFL history, securing a long-term deal for the man it traded for nine months ago.
NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero tweeted the extension’s details on Thursday, “Details on Vikings TE T.J. Hockenson’s extension: Base value: $66M over 4 new years. Cash flow: $32M over 2 years, $48M over 3. Full guarantee: $29M at signing (including ~$9M left on rookie deal). Total guarantee: $42.5M. Max: $68.5M with incentives. Now signed through 2027.”
Hockenson now ranks at the top of the NFL’s list of highest-paid tight ends per average annual salary ($17.125M) and sets the market for future TE deals. He’s the standard until next March or so.
The Vikings have one more mega extension to complete this summer — involving Justin Jefferson, who is also expected to reset the market to the tune of a deal worth $30 to $35 million annually.
Hockenson has been slightly sidelined for a few weeks due to an ear infection that most folks believed was an “excuse” to hold-in for a new extension. If that was the strategy, it worked. Emphatically. Hockenson should be ready for Week 1 in 10 days when the Vikings host the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at U.S. Bank Stadium.
Onboarding the 26-year-old via trade last season utterly revamped the Vikings 2022 offense, adding a target for quarterback Kirk Cousins in the middle of the field. Opposing defensive coordinators increasingly focused on Hockenson’s Offensive Player of the Year teammate, Justin Jefferson, so Hockenson felt like a godsend.
Hockenson produced 60 receptions for 519 receiving yards and 3 touchdowns in 10 games with the Vikings — not a bad opening salvo. Moreover, spread throughout an entire regular season and per-target basis, Hockenson could’ve — and still might in 2023 — tabulate a 100+ catch, 1000+ yard season in Minnesota. That’s the goal.
Here are a couple of statistics to illustrate Hockenson’s immediate impact on the Vikings:
Most Receiving Yards,
in First 10 Games w/Vikings:
Justin Jefferson (848)
Sammy White (742)
John Gilliam (722)
Randy Moss (698)
Bernard Berrian (667)
Stefon Diggs (638)
Jermaine Wiggins (538)
T.J. Hockenson (519)
Most Receptions by a TE,
First 10 Games with a Franchise,
Since 1970:
T.J. Hockenson, MIN (60)
Kellen Winslow, CLE (56)
Keith Jackson, PHI (54)
Tony Gonzalez, KC (52)
Jermaine Wiggins, MIN (51)
The Vikings received the explosive tight end, a 2023 fourth-round pick (Jay Ward), and a 2024 fourth-round pick while giving up a 2023 second-round pick and a 2024 third-rounder last November in a deal with the rival Detroit Lions.
Few Vikings fans lament the swap.
The extension marks the first high-profile extension on general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah’s watch, aside from a small extension with fullback C.J. Ham a few months ago.
Dustin Baker is a political scientist who graduated from the University of Minnesota in 2007. Subscribe to his daily YouTube Channel, VikesNow. He hosts a podcast with Bryant McKinnie, which airs every Wednesday with Raun Sawh and Sal Spice. His Vikings obsession dates back to 1996. Listed guilty pleasures: Peanut Butter Ice Cream, ‘The Sopranos,’ Basset Hounds, and The Doors (the band).
All statistics provided by Pro Football Reference / Stathead; all contractual information provided by OverTheCap.com.