Let’s play along with T.J. Hockenson and the Vikings’ game for a moment.
Let’s buy into the story that the tight end developed an ear infection that affected his equilibrium three weeks ago, causing him to only take part in the first portion of practices and sit out team drills in training camp. I had my doubts about this — in part because in discussing the issue Hockenson avoided providing any real details — but, hey, maybe it would clear up.
The good news was, it did. Coach Kevin O’Connell said so on Wednesday.
That meant Hockenson should have been participating in team drills against the Arizona Cardinals in the first of two joint practices at TCO Performance Center. So why was Josh Oliver doing so much of the first-team work and where was Hockenson when the real work began?
O’Connell had now been told Hockenson had developed lower back stiffness and “very recently” reported the issue to the Vikings’ medical staff.
What’s the old saying? Fool me once, shame on you; fool me twice, shame on me.
Maybe Hockenson’s back does hurt, but let’s call this what it appears to be: Hockenson is staging a soft “hold in” because he wants a contract extension. In the Vikings’ defense, maybe he is telling them that he can’t take part in practices, and there’s a good chance the team doesn’t want to question him publicly, but this seems to have far more to do with his bank account than his back.
Dianna Russini of The Athletic confirmed as much on Wednesday afternoon when she put up a post about Hockenson on X (formerly Twitter). Russini, who recently left ESPN to become an NFL Insider for the Athletic, was at TCO Performance Center this week and it’s no coincidence this information surfaced a few days after her departure.
The Vikings and tight end T.J. Hockenson have been working on an extension, but both sides are far apart, per league sources.
Hockenson wants to reset the market with a historic contract extension for tight ends.
He has been limited at practice because of an ear infection and…— Dianna Russini (@DMRussini) August 23, 2023
It’s also no surprise that Hockenson’s medical issues are at the end of the post, and the first few sentences focus on Hockenson and the Vikings being “far apart,” on an agreement.
Hockenson, 26, is entering the final season of his rookie contract and is set to make $9.329 million in base salary on his fifth-year option. The eighth overall pick by Detroit in the 2019 draft, Hockenson was dealt to the Vikings at the Nov. 1 trade deadline last season and proved to be a key part of Minnesota’s offense.
He caught 60 passes for 519 yards and three touchdowns in 10 games, including a remarkable nine catches on nine targets for 70 yards in a victory at Washington only five days after being acquired. Hockenson proved to be one of Kirk Cousins’ favorite targets — his reception total tied wide receiver K.J. Osborn for third on the team, despite the fact Osborn played in 17 games — and his role is expected to grow this season.
The Vikings also tipped their hand to Hockenson, when it came to his importance, by signing blocking tight end Josh Oliver to a free agent contract and making it clear that they would employ more 12 and less 11 personnel, meaning more use of two tight ends and two wide receivers.
Hockenson’s importance was expanding and clearly he thinks his paycheck should, too. What’s interesting about Russini’s report is the use of the term “historic contract” for a tight end.
The three top-paid tight ends in the NFL, according to Over The Cap, are the Giants’ Darren Waller, who averages $17 million a year, with $22 million guaranteed; the 49ers’ George Kittle, who averages $15 million, with $40 million guaranteed; and the Chiefs’ Travis Kelce, who averages $14.313 million, with $23 million guaranteed.
Oliver, who signed a three-year, $21 million deal with the Vikings in March, is ranked 20th among NFL tight ends with an average of $7 million per year. Hockenson’s rookie contract currently puts him 26th.
Here’s something else likely adding to Hockenson’s pain.
Bears tight end Cole Kmet agreed to a four-year, $50 million contract with $32 million guaranteed in late July, and Jaguars tight end Evan Engram got a three-year, $41.25 million extension with $24 million guaranteed in the middle of last month. Engram’s average salary of $13.75 million ranks sixth among NFL tight ends, while Kmet’s $12.5 million average is tied for ninth.
But if Hockenson and his agent, Neil Cornrich, are serious about resetting the market for tight ends, you have to wonder how far they will go to accomplish that and what’s their end game?
It’s possible all of this will end with Hockenson signing a contract extension just before the regular season opener on Sept. 10 against Tampa Bay. That’s what happened with running backs Adrian Peterson and Dalvin Cook when Rick Spielman was general manager.
But Spielman is gone and his replacement, Kwesi Adofo-Mensah, hasn’t exactly been handing out contract extensions to current players. Defensive end Danielle Hunter got a new contract this summer after a brief “hold-in” at camp but that was only for this season and replaced his previous deal. Kirk Cousins wanted an extension last March but didn’t get one, and even superstar wide receiver Justin Jefferson is waiting for an extension that many thought would be done by now.
So let’s play another game: What if Sept. 10 hits and Hockenson doesn’t have a new contract? He said this week that he will be “ready to go in September,” but so far no one has acknowledged that his absence from much of practice has anything to do with his contract — although Russini’s tweet comes very close. Is there a chance that Hockenson would tell the Vikings his ear issue, or back issue, or whatever comes next, is just too much for him to play?
At some point you have to think the team will begin to lose patience, but so far the Vikings and Hockenson seem to be on the same page when it comes to the messaging on his absence from team drills.
Of course, when it comes to his paycheck, it appears there is a significant divide in how the two sides see things. A resolution to the situation might make Hockenson feel a whole lot better.
