T.J. Hockenson

The Chariton, Iowa, native and former Iowa Hawkeyes tight end was acquired Tuesday by the Minnesota Vikings in a trade with the Detroit Lions that is pending ...

Seattle, Hockenson totaled 109 yards after the catch, the most in a single game in the NFL in 2022 and the most for a tight end since 49ers TE George Kittle had 136 vs. Seattle, Hockenson set a career-high with 179 receiving yards (the most by a tight end this season and the most ever by a Lions tight end). Hockenson has played the Vikings six times, totaling 20 catches for 185 yards and three touchdowns. Ellefson's three catches for 26 yards are also career highs. He was teammates with Vikings practice squad QB David Blough while in Detroit. In the contest vs. Minnesota also has veteran Jacob Hollister and rookie Nick Muse on its practice squad. Hockenson became the first Lions tight end to make the Pro Bowl since David Sloan in 1999. In Week 3, he finished with three catches for 18 yards, including a 5-yard touchdown, against Minnesota at U.S. The monster game included a career-long 81-yard reception, the second-longest play from scrimmage in the NFL this season. Hockenson has appeared in 47 career games with 42 starts, totaling 186 catches for 2,068 yards and 15 touchdowns with Detroit. The deal involved Minnesota sending a 2023 second-round pick and 2024 third-round pick to Detroit to land the No.

The Detroit Lions traded tight end T.J. Hockenson to the division rival Minnesota Vikings on Tuesday, less than four hours before the NFL trade deadline.

To keep him in Detroit, the Lions would have to pay him big money. That general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah would be willing to part with some of his future (in draft picks) for the present (in Hockenson) says that the Vikings believe this team has a chance to be frisky. He also has amassed the second-best yards after the catch per reception (8.04 yards). Hockenson](https://theathletic.com/nfl/player/tj-hockenson-Yp7BNMxs6Jyl4I97/) to the division rival [Minnesota Vikings](https://theathletic.com/nfl/team/vikings/) on Tuesday, less than four hours before the NFL trade deadline. The Lions are essentially swapping their 2023 fourth-round pick with Minnesota’s 2023 second-round pick, which will give them four picks among the top 60 in next April’s draft. The Vikings have played Mundt as much if not more than Smith, but adding Hockenson speaks to how much they want to add another dimension to their offense. The Vikings, coached by Kevin O’Connell, have asked a lot out of their tight ends. [Detroit Lions](https://theathletic.com/nfl/team/lions/) traded tight end [T.J. This year, he ranks first among tight ends in yards per reception (15.19). Hockenson, 25, leads Detroit in receiving yards and is second in receptions (26) in 2022. Smith had been the Vikings’ most productive tight end, with 22 catches for 168 yards and two touchdowns. 4 tight end in fantasy football (PPR).

Detroit Lions get 2023 second-rounder as part of T.J. Hockenson trade with Minnesota Vikings, giving them 2 firsts and 2 seconds in 2023 NFL draft.

The Lions traded Picks 32 and 34, plus a third-rounder, in April's draft to Minnesota [[email protected]](mailto:[email protected]). He made the Pro Bowl in 2020, but finished last season on injured reserve with a thumb injury and was relegated to more of a supporting role in the Lions' new offense this season. [NFL Network reported](https://twitter.com/TomPelissero/status/1587480745706196993?s=20&t=K9vrDrYkfpgaHckM_zxquw) the deal is for a swap of future draft picks. "That’s not really my place at this point. "Listen, I’m not stupid, I know what I can bring to another team and I know here that they could, if they want something, if they want to do things for the future then I’m not stupid in that sense," Hockenson told the Free Press. [for one of the top quarterbacks in the draft](https://www.freep.com/story/sports/nfl/lions/2022/10/31/detroit-lions-nfl-draft-2023-quarterbacks-jared-goff/69606510007/). The Lions had not opened negotiations on a new contract with Hockenson, who has one-year left on his rookie deal. [Detroit Lions](https://www.freep.com/sports/lions/) traded Hockenson to the Minnesota Vikings before [Tuesday's NFL trade deadline](https://www.freep.com/story/sports/columnists/carlos-monarrez/2022/11/01/nfl-trade-deadline-detroit-lions-buying-or-selling/69607160007/), the Vikings announced. [owners of the worst record in the NFL](https://www.freep.com/story/sports/nfl/lions/2022/11/01/detroit-lions-nfl-power-rankings-week-9/69608702007/), are in rebuild mode and in need of draft capital to bolster their roster. [Should Detroit Lions sell or buy at the NFL trade deadline?](https://www.freep.com/story/sports/columnists/carlos-monarrez/2022/11/01/nfl-trade-deadline-detroit-lions-buying-or-selling/69607160007/) [It's quarterback or bust in 2023 NFL draft for destitute Detroit Lions](https://www.freep.com/story/sports/nfl/lions/2022/10/31/detroit-lions-nfl-draft-2023-quarterbacks-jared-goff/69606510007/)

Hockenson, 25, was drafted No. 8 overall by Detroit just three years ago, and he's widely considered one of the top young players at his position. Signed ...

Hockenson](/nfl/players/2251097/t-j-hockenson/) from the [Lions](https://www.cbssports.com/nfl/teams/DET/detroit-lions/) as part of a swap of draft picks, a deal confirmed by CBS Sports HQ [NFL](/nfl/) insider Josina Anderson. Hockenson may command a lucrative salary down the line, and he's had his own injury history, but even the draft picks they're getting are far from guaranteed to replace the former No. to a high-ankle sprain in Sunday's win over the [Cardinals](https://www.cbssports.com/nfl/teams/ARI/arizona-cardinals/) and on Tuesday, the team [placed him on injured reserve](https://twitter.com/RapSheet/status/1587494859237212163). And all the Vikings gave up to get him -- not only for 2022, but through at least 2023 on a reasonable deal -- was the equivalent of a second-rounder. [Vikings](https://www.cbssports.com/nfl/teams/MIN/minnesota-vikings/) lost starting tight end [Irv Smith](/nfl/players/2257888/irv-smith/) Jr. He topped 500 receiving yards in each of the previous two seasons despite missing five games due to injury in 2021, logging a personal-best 67 catches for 723 yards and six touchdowns during his 2020 Pro Bowl campaign.

The Detroit Lions announced Tuesday that they have traded tight end T.J. Hockenson to the Minnesota Vikings (pending physical).

Hockenson is owed $9.39 million in 2023 after the team exercised the option this offseason. Hockenson fills an immediate need for the Vikings after tight end Irv Smith Jr. Wright and Mitchell have combined to catch seven passes for 102 yards on the season. This is the second major trade involving the Lions and Vikings in the past seven months. A Pro Bowler in 2020, Hockenson has 186 receptions for 2,068 yards and 15 touchdowns in four seasons (47 games). 8 overall by Detroit in the 2019 NFL Draft, has 26 receptions for 395 yards and three touchdowns this season.

The Detroit Lions are trading Pro Bowl tight end T.J. Hockenson to division rival Minnesota in exchange for two draft picks, ESPN and NFL Network reported ...

Hockenson joins a Vikings tight ends room with Irv Smith, Jr., Johnny Mundt and Ben Ellefson. Smith suffered an ankle injury Sunday and is "week to week." ...

In July 2021, Hockenson teamed up with fellow NFL tight ends George Kittle and Robert Tonyan for a unique fundraising effort. He's been to Disney "a few times" and called it "the best place on Earth." He has a bunch of different Disney pairs [of socks], and he's a fan of all the movies and cartoons. Hockenson received First-Team All-Big Ten honors by the media and a Second-Team selection by the coaches. Lilo, from Lilo & Stitch, of which he also has a pair of socks for the movie. Ellefson, who suffered a groin injury in Week 4, must remain on the Injured Reserve list for at least one more week.

The Browns blew out the Bengals on Monday Night Football. The Bears traded Roquan Smith to the Ravens just days after trading Robert Quinn to the Eagles. The ...

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Prior to this morning, the NFL trade deadline had been a very quiet affair. Aside from Christian McCaffrey and Roquan Smith, there wasn't much for NFL fans ...

In 2021, Hockenson recorded the second-lowest drop rate among qualifying tight ends (1.6 percent) and the highest contested catch rate (78.6 percent). [knockdowns](https://www.fantasypros.com/nfl/advanced-stats-qb.php) of any NFL quarterback (33) and the fifth-most hurries (25). With defenses likely keying in on Jefferson and Thielen, Hockenson should have more space to operate, but even if he’s in traffic, he’s shown an ability to come away with the football. In those third-and-short situations where Cousins would normally go to Jefferson on an out route or Cook/Mattison in the flat, Hockenson could excel in running quick hitches, drags, or stops just beyond the line of scrimmage. According to reports, the Vikings are only surrendering a 2023 second and a 2024 fourth while getting a 2023 fourth and a conditional 2024 fourth in return. Still, despite a tight end-focused offensive coordinator, Smith was averaging less than five targets per game and fewer yards per game than he managed to put up in 2020 as Minnesota’s co-starter with Kyle Rudolph. Much like Smith, it’s likely that Hockenson will operate as the team’s third option in the passing game. injury](https://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2022/11/01/report-irv-smith-jr-out-8-10-weeks-with-ankle-injury/) likely put the Vikings in panic mode, and they likely hurried a deal for a game-changer at tight end. The most involved a tight end has ever been in any O’Connell offense has been Irv Smith Jr. Sure, that’s not insane talent, but you’d think with the low-end quarterback talent in that Washington locker room that year — Case Keenum, Dwayne Haskins, and Colt McCoy — checkdowns to the tight end would’ve been a very popular play call for the offense. Minnesota head coach Kevin O’Connell has never been a big proponent of using tight ends in his offenses. Is the team a sure-fire bet to win the NFC North now?” I guess that’s three questions, but the answer to all three is probably a resounding “Meh.”

With a looming contract extension, the front office decided to essentially swap draft picks with the Minnesota Vikings, sending the talented tight end to a ...

[Hockenson](https://www.si.com/nfl/lions/news/grading-hockenson-trade-to-vikings) is a young player who could help them in the future, they also were about to start paying him. At 1-6, the Lions don’t have a real shot to make the playoffs, so they decided to trade one of their best assets for future draft capital. The problem is that the Lions' roster remains a major work in progress. They received two Day 2 picks and freed up more than $13 million in cap space this year and next in the process. [Detroit Lions](https://www.si.com/nfl/lions/news/grading-hockenson-trade-to-vikings) made a decision to move on from tight end T.J. In exchange, they will draft players who will play against the Vikings for years." He eclipsed 48 receiving yards in just two outings and averaged 3.7 catches per contest, which is a drop-off from the 5.1 receptions he had per game last season. Of course, there’s value in that, but the cost seems to exceed the value." The Lions also have one of the best offensive lines in football, so, perhaps, they view Hockenson as a bit of a luxury item at this point, especially if there is another tight end in next year’s draft who can gain more separation but is less of a polished blocker. They simply moved up two rounds in 2023 and potentially one round in 2024, pending the conditions of the pick. And why, when the offense is clicking, are the Lions taking away one of their premium pieces? While rebuilding, it’s important to keep talented pieces, not flip them for future assets in the hope that they can be turned into other valuable pieces.

Iyer wrote: The Vikings have transitioned to an 11-personnel passing offense (three wide receivers) with Kirk Cousins under rookie coach Kevin O'Connell. Their ...

Craig said the New York Giants are the only team in the NFL with more wins in one-score games at six. While that hasn't always been the case at the NFL level, the physical ability to be a dominant run blocker at the position remains. And eventually Cousins' contract will be off the books, but until it is, the Vikings salary-cap situation will need some major work this coming offseason. But Minnesota also gave up some decent assets and, as things stand now, will be shorthanded in each of the next two drafts. In a league where it's tough finding tight ends that can do both, the Vikings have. There is a double-edged quality to this trade. Hockenson doesn't simply help as a weapon in the passing game for O'Connell. Hockenson can be a dangerous intermediate target playing off Justin Jefferson as well as get down and dirty to pave the way better for Dalvin Cook. Minnesota currently ranks 18th in team DVOA (Defense-adjusted Value Over Average) and 11th in offensive DVOA. Smith has played 52.9 percent of the total snaps so far this season, which ranks 27th among tight ends. The Vikings have transitioned to an 11-personnel passing offense (three wide receivers) with Kirk Cousins under rookie coach Kevin O'Connell. Hockenson gives them much more pop at tight end than the occasional red zone usage of the next man up after Irv Smith, Jr., and Johnny Mundt.

Holmes said he does not believe in the 'archaic way of thinking' that NFL teams cannot make trades within their division.

And I just told them that and told them that what I have to judge is, 'Well, where does his production go now?' And I have to feel OK with that production going to (Amon-Ra) St. "Just like I said, I think that we’ve proven that our offense can score a lot of points and I’m sure that he was a part of it, but the deal with him made sense," Holmes said. Brown, Leaf (Kalif Raymond), (Josh) Reynolds, (D'Andre) Swift, another carry for Jamaal (Williams) and the other tight ends, and I feel OK with that." "So I mean, with the capital that we received back from a compensation standpoint, I just think it made a lot of sense for us to continue on this build." Hockenson to the Minnesota Vikings](https://www.freep.com/search/?q=%22T.J.+Hockenson%22) for the swap of draft picks he received had the Lions been 6-1 and leading their division. [[email protected]](mailto:[email protected]). "That’s one of many that was looked at, but it wasn’t solely focused on that at all." "I mean, we’re working hard every single day to win as many games as possible. So it wasn’t anything of that nature, but it made sense for us and we just move forward." They also gave up a 2023 fourth-round pick in the deal and a conditional 2024 fourth-rounder that could become a fifth-rounder if the Vikings win a playoff game. "If our record was reversed and it made sense for us, then we would have still done it. [Detroit Lions get meager return for T.J.

ALLEN PARK -- The Detroit Lions have traded their leading receiver to a division rival, ostensibly making the worst team in the league even worse.