Do the Vikings listen on trade offers for star tight end T.J. Hockenson?
In early November, the NFL will arrive at its trade deadline. Minnesota is working through an internal checklist to determine how to proceed with the trade possibilities. Kwesi Adofo-Mensah is tasked with determining whether to buy, sell, do some mixture of both, or be inactive. The final option — inactivity — appears to be the least likely since the GM has never been one to entirely turn down trade season. If there’s a desire to sell, does Adofo-Mensah move on from his TE1?
Do the Vikings Listen on Hockenson Trade Offers?
In an under-the-radar manner, the Vikings have invested much in youthful options at tight end.
Start off with Gavin Bartholomew, someone chosen in the 6th of the 2025 NFL Draft. He’s working through an injury that has kept him off the field for all of his rookie season but he’s around the building nevertheless. And then there were the pickups within undrafted free agency: Ben Yurosek and Bryson Nesbit. The former is on the 53 while the latter is on the practice squad.
As they venture into 2026, the Vikings have a youthful tight end triplet. That matters, folks.
Consider, as well, that Josh Oliver is a much-applauded option who is very well liked by the coaching staff. He just signed a new deal, getting refastened to Minnesota’s roster for 2025-2028. He did so by agreeing to be paid $23,250,000 across another trio of seasons. The TE2 isn’t going anywhere.
For whatever it’s worth, the practice squad also boasts veteran Nick Vannett, someone who has done a bit of shuffling between the 16-man practice squad and 53-man roster.
Add it all together and there’s at least some reason to believe that the Vikings would consider a future without T.J. Hockenson. No, the likelihood doesn’t appear to be very high, but the GM may yet listen to rival executives if they call about prying Mr. Hockenson away.
Originally, T.J. Hockenson got added to the Vikings’ roster as a result of an in-season trade with the Lions (catching most people off guard). The cost wasn’t insignificant — a 2nd and 3rd in exchange for Hockenson and a pair of 4th-Round selections — but seemingly worth it.
Adding the talented tight end who was chosen at No. 8 in the 2019 NFL Draft helped to peel attention away from Justin Jefferson, the superhuman talent who wasn’t getting sufficient support from Adam Thielen and K.J. Osborn. Almost immediately, Hockenson impressed. A team could still decide to overload Jefferson; the danger in doing so was that Hockenson could make the opposition pay.
Going into 2023, the tight end signed a four-year extension coming in at $66 million. Pretty early, Hockenson was proving to be worth the investment. His 2023 season involved getting targeted 127 times for 95 catches, 960 yards, and 5 touchdowns. Only a late-season injury — one that arrived after a tackle that generated a pile of criticism — kept the tight end from clearing 100 catches and 1,000 yards.
Is T.J. Hockenson still that player from 2023? If so, then why are the stats depleted? If not, then can the Vikings continue justifying such meaty money?
At least a pair of issues limit Hockenson’s upside: the yards-per-catch average alongside the touchdowns. Neither are impressive.
Currently, the team’s top tight end sits at just 7.8 yard per catch, a very modest number. Just as a point of reference, Johnny Mundt’s 4 catches down in Jacksonville have gone for 9.3 yards; in 2024, Mundt’s 19 catches for Minnesota went for 7.5 yards per catch.
And then the single touchdown isn’t ideal, either. Seeing the referees rule in favor of the diving score from Week 7 would have helped, but we’re nevertheless talking about a trend where Hockenson isn’t super explosive and doesn’t score a ton.
Plus, T.J. Hockenson isn’t the world’s brawniest blocker — though he is improving — and his ability to move the sticks is somewhat muted right now. Last season, Hockenson had 30 of his 41 catches go for a 1st down, working out to roughly 75% of the time. The 2025 Hockenson catches have seen just 9 first downs on 25 grabs, a percentage that’s closer to a third of the time.
Kevin O’Connell has run interference for his top tight end during the season, noting that the production is more modest since the TE1 has adopted a team-first approach that involves more blocking. To be sure, Coach O’Connell is telling the truth, but one wonders if it’s only a partial truth.
A team that would be acquiring T.J. Hockenson wouldn’t be inheriting a four-year, $66 million agreement. Or, at least, not the full freight within that agreement.
The tight end’s deal goes through 2027, meaning he has two-and-a-half years left. Whoever picks him up wouldn’t see the full money shift over. The Vikings would (obviously) have paid much of the contract already while also being committed to covering the entire $26,695,000 signing bonus.
Could a team like the Bills or Chiefs incorporate Hockenson in a manner that allows for more explosive plays?
On the Vikings’ end, a trade would mean accepting somewhere around $5,335,000 in present-day dead money (with more upcoming for the 2026 budget). Crucially, there would be a substantial subtraction from his $16,649,118 cap hit.
T.J. Hockenson stands at 6’5″ and weighs 248 pounds. He is 28.
Editor’s Note: Information from Pro Football Reference and Over the Cap helped with this piece.
