Vikings ink Hockenson to a new extension

August 31, 2023 By Minnesota News Network

The Minnesota Vikings announce the team has agreed to terms with tight end T.J. Hockenson on a multi-year contract extension. Hockenson enters his fifth NFL season and second with the Vikings in 2023, after being traded to Minnesota from the Detroit Lions on Nov. 1, 2022.

Hockenson made his Viking debut in Week 9 at Washington, catching nine passes for 70 yards just five days after joining the team. Hockenson totaled 26 receptions in his first four games with Minnesota, setting an NFL record for the most receptions by a tight end in their first four games with a team.

In the final 10 weeks of the 2022 season after joining Minnesota, Hockenson ranked second among all tight ends with 60 receptions, just three catches shy of Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce’s league leading mark. He hauled in 13 receptions for 109 yards receiving and two touchdowns in Week 16 against the New York Giants (Dec. 24), setting a single-game franchise record for catches by a tight end.

Hockenson posted the second-most receptions (86) and yards receiving (914) by a tight end during the 2022 season, trailing only Kelce in both categories.

The Chariton, Iowa, native recorded three 100-yard receiving games in 2022, including one in the postseason. Hockenson garnered a career-high 179 yards receiving for Detroit in Week 4 against the Seattle Seahawks (Oct. 2), becoming the first tight end in NFL history to record a game of at least 175yards receiving, two touchdowns and a two-point conversion.

Hockenson was the eighth overall pick in the 2019 NFL Draft by Detroit. He set the NFL record for the most yards receiving (131) by a tight end in his first-career game on Sept. 8, 2019, at Arizona.

A two-time Pro Bowl selection (2020 and 2023), Hockenson has played in 57 games during his NFL tenure, making 49 starts. He has tallied 2,587 yards receiving and 18 touchdowns on 246 receptions.

(info courtesy of Vikings)

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