NFL Writer Links T.J. Hockenson to New Team
The Minnesota Vikings live in a salary cap hole with the offseason underway, needing to clear around $50 million in cap space just to sign any players whatsoever. Tight end T.J. Hockenson could be a cap casualty accordingly, and one analyst claims that the Vikings playmaker could land with the team that drafted him seven years ago: the Detroit Lions.
Detroit chatter grows around Hockenson as Minnesota’s cap squeeze may force the tight end out of town.
It’s not a foregone conclusion that Minnesota will drop Hockenson, but A to Z Sports‘ Mike Payton makes the case for Detroit as a destination if the release comes to fruition.
Detroit Theory Claims a Reunion for T.J. Hockenson
Hockenson joined the Vikings via trade in 2022 from … the Lions.
Payton: Hockenson Reunion in DET Makes Sense
Payton banged the drum this week for Hockenson to DET. He wrote, “The Lions can take Sam LaPorta, Hockenson, and a third tight end and get into some of those three-tight-end sets that gained a lot of popularity this season. If you want to know how dangerous those can be, just go back and watch the Rams use it on the Lions all day long. The possibilities are endless.”
“The Lions wouldn’t have to pay Hockenson a pretty penny. His days of securing the bag are over. He’ll be 29 at the start of next season. A good deal for Hockenson would be a two-year, $15 million contract.”
Minnesota extended Hockenson’s contract in the summer of 2023, and both parties agreed the 2026 offseason would be a contractual reevaluation point.
Payton added, “The Lions can make it an incentive-driven deal and protect themselves in the second year, so they have an out after the first if it doesn’t work out. There’s just no harm done on this one. It makes a lot of sense and could be a great move for Detroit.”
The Cap Savings for Vikings
Let’s get this out there: Hockenson is still a fine tight end. It’s just that the Vikings used him like an offensive lineman in 2025, when Hockenson must be utilized as a pass-catcher, too, to maximize his value. If Minnesota’s front office and coaching staff decide that he’s no longer worth the squeeze, a roster cut would make sense this offseason.
In that scenario, general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah would save up to $16 million in cap space if he dated the maneuver to hit the books after June 1st. Adofo-Mensah could then turn around and sign two veteran players for the price, and Hockenson can sign somewhere that will play him like a real TE1.
The Vikings will eat about $5 million in dead cap funds if they drop Hockenson.
The Viking Age‘s Brad Berreman wrote this month, “To put it plainly, the Vikings have to find ways to trim a lot of cap dollars this offseason. One of the most notable ways to get that done, even with a dead money hit, is to part ways with Hockenson. If Hockenson is gone, the obvious question is who will replace him. Josh Oliver is very good in his role, but he is not what anyone envisions as a TE1.”
“Ben Yurosek is sort of interesting as a potential internal replacement, but he is a massive projection right now. The free agent class of tight ends is broadly interesting, but how active the Vikings will (or can) be on the open market is a question. So, in the interest of cost management after last offseason’s spending spree, the draft might be a better path to bolstering the tight end depth chart.”
Super Bowl Contention for Hockenson
With Payton’s scenario, Hockenson would instantly rejoin a Super Bowl-contending team, though he’d play second fiddle to LaPorta, who is very much a TE1 when healthy.
The return to Detroit would also be a bit poetic, and Hockenson spent his first 3.5 seasons there before Adofo-Mensah acquired him via trade before the 2022 deadline.
The Lions had a down year in 2025, missing the postseason altogether and falling tremendously short of their Super Bowl expectations, but the roster, on the whole, is not ailing. In fact, Detroit may still own the best depth chart pound for pound in the NFC North.
Dan Campbell and friends just have to figure out how to get back on track. If so, Detroit will be right back in the mix to fight for a championship, and Payton believes Hockenson should be along for the ride.
A Verdict within 5 Weeks
Free agency is not far away. Not far away at all. “Legal tampering” begins on March 9th, the unofficial but official start to the process, when teams can begin signing players.
For Hockenson’s purposes, Minnesota will likely generate a verdict sometime between mid-February and early March. Adofo-Mensah will either a) do nothing, keeping Hockenson on the roster as-is b) release him c) restructure his contract.
The Super Bowl is obviously next up on the NFL calendar, but fans can expect a Hockenson verdict quite soon.
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