Even though T.J. Hockenson didn’t do anything, his future market value for his next contract just got a lot richer. When the Cleveland Browns used the franchise tag on tight end David Njoku and the Miami Dolphins did the same with Mike Gesicki and the Cowboys followed suit with Dalton Schultz, it raised the roof for what Hockenson will get on his next contract.
The Lions don’t have to worry about that next contract for Hockenson for at least one more year, of course. Hockenson still has one more season on his rookie deal, plus a club option for the fifth year that is almost certain to be exercised soon.
However, the trio of tags means three more tight ends are going to earn over $10 million in 2022. Gesicki, Njoku and Schultz will all earn the same franchise tag figure of $10.931 million for one season. It’s a figure based on the average of the top salaries at the position.
In 12 games in 2021, Hockenson posted numbers that shoehorn him into the same class of player
| Catches | Yards | TDs | PFF Run block | |
| Hockenson | 61 | 583 | 4 | 45.1 |
| Gesicki | 73 | 780 | 2 | 46.1 |
| Njoku | 36 | 475 | 4 | 64.1 |
| Schultz | 78 | 808 | 8 | 69.4 |
This is not the top tier of tight ends. Schultz’s numbers in Dallas are more in the ballpark with George Kittle, Travis Kelce and Mark Andrews, but Hockenson’s status in this tier of talent is pretty secure already — and with upward mobility. If he puts together an injury-free season that builds up above five catches and 55 yards per game and improves his blocking, Hockenson handily cements himself at or even above the trio of tagged TEs into 2023.
When Hockenson does get to working on his next contract, the $10.9 million value for the franchise tag TEs this year figures to be the floor for negotiations. That’s going to make for an interesting decision for the Lions under Brad Holmes and Dan Campbell, a regime that did not draft him into Detroit. It’s still at least one offseason away, but the Lions organization has to immediately factor in the long-term budget for a premium tight end contract if they know they want to keep Hockenson beyond 2023.
