The Vikings acquired tight end T.J. Hockenson from the Detroit Lions. When it comes to trying to improve the team, Adofo-Mensah has no issue dealing with division rivals. This is a big deal and the Vikings are a much better football team because of it.
The particulars of the big trade:
Vikings receive:
T.J. Hockenson, TE
2023 4th-round pick
2024 conditional 4th-round pick
Lions receive:
2023 2nd-round pick
2024 3rd-round pick
The conditional 4th-round pick becomes a 5th-round pick if the Vikings win a playoff game this season. Here’s hoping for that 2024 5th-round pick.
The Vikings didn’t have much salary cap space. They are responsible for less than $600,000 of Hockenson’s 2022 salary. This is the final year of his rookie deal. The Lions already picked up the fifth-year option. So, the Vikings have Hockenson under contract next year for $9.4 million. This is no short-term rental. It wouldn’t be a surprise if there’s a long-term deal in the offseason. Hockenson is a potential franchise cornerstone player, a building block, a player to keep.
The Vikings have needed more from the tight end position. Irv Smith Jr. has been slow to return from missing last year to a knee injury and training camp to a thumb injury. Johnny Mundt was signed in the offseason to be a nice second tight end. With Smith’s slow return to form, Mundt has had to play a bigger role than was probably intended. I thought that the Vikings might look to add a tight end at the trade deadline. Tight end became an even greater need when Smith injured his ankle during Sunday’s game against the Arizona Cardinals. That injury put him on injured reserve. It also made tight end an even greater need. The high end tight end target was probably Mike Gesicki of the Miami Dolphins. He reportedly has been on the market. While I was never a fan of his blocking, his pass catching has always been among the best. After Gesicki, the options never felt great. With the way that Ryan Poles has been cutting ties with players like Robert Quinn and especially Roquan Smith, I jokingly thought about taking Cole Kmet from the Chicago Bears. I never thought for even a moment that T.J. Hockenson was an option. I only ever thought of him as a fixture of the Lions present and future. He’s one of the best young tight ends in the league. He’s one of the best tight ends in the league.
With all respect to Dalvin Cook, Justin Jefferson is the Vikings best offensive player. At times, opponents have been able to throw enough resources at Jefferson to slow him. When that’s happened the Vikings offense has often stumbled to pedestrian levels. They have too many playmakers to ever be pedestrian. Some have thought a consistent deep threat is needed. A little more speed would be nice. Perhaps a little more speed is already on the roster. I wouldn’t mind seeing rookie Jalen Nailor get some snaps. A much greater need was a tight end that could threaten the defense at all levels. Hockenson is a threat. He’s a threat at the line, off the line, intermediate depths, and deep. He can drop 179 yards in a single game. He can also block. He changes the Vikings offense. He makes it more versatile. He makes it more dangerous.
Dalvin Cook, Alexander Mattison, Justin Jefferson, Adam Thielen, K.J. Osborn, Jalen Reagor, and now T.J. Hockenson. An improving offensive line. I’d like to see Kene Nwangwu and Jalen Nailor added to that fun group of playmakers. Kirk Cousins has everything he could possibly need.
The Minnesota Vikings definitely aren’t sitting on that nifty record.
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