Both the Vikings and T.J. Hockenson relished their first half-season together in Purple.
following signing a four-year agreement with Minnesota on Thursday, Hockenson will be returning for more full seasons following what was supposed to be his final year on his rookie deal.
Hockenson thanked the Vikings’ ownership group, team management, his family, his fiancé, and his agency for their contributions.
“It’s just been an incredible year to be here, be part of the Minnesota Vikings, be a part of this organization and really be a part of this city,” Hockenson said after Thursday’s practice. “These fans, it’s truly incredible to be here.
“It’s truly a good fit for me here, and I’ve known that since day one,” he continued. “I’ve expressed that to you guys and the fans since day one, that this is the place I want to be long-term. And to have that done and to be able to move forward with that and really have dreams come into a reality is incredible. I’m super excited to first and foremost be here, so that’s what it is.
The deal was disclosed by Vikings General Manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah at the commencement of a media conference that he and Head Coach Kevin O’Connell conducted on Thursday morning.
“I’m excited about that. He fits our culture. He’s the type of player that we want around here in Minnesota,” Adofo-Mensah said. “Really excited to get it done. I just want to thank his representatives, Kevin, [Executive Vice President of Football Operations] Rob [Brzezinski], [Manager of Football Administration] Emily [Badis]. A lot of people in this building do a lot of great work, late nights into this.”
In their more than a year of working together, O’Connell continued the thinking where Adofo-Mensah had left off.
“Thrilled to know we’ve got T.J. here as a major part of our core on offense,” O’Connell said. “I think when we got him last season, our hopes [were] that we were acquiring a player that would become a major part of our offense moving forward.
“We saw the immediate impact over those 10 games, 11 games, what he was able to do,” O’Connell added. “We’ve been able to build on T.J.’s role here, really have a great process throughout the offseason of what it’s going to look like within our offensive system for a major player like T.J. to be a part of it, and just knowing our young core that we do have, our quarterback and where he’s at coming out of training camp, I’m very excited about our offensive side.”
The agreement allows “speculation season” about Hockenson’s future with the organization to end and move on to the actual season of 2023, when he is anticipated to play a significant role in Minnesota’s passing game once more.
The Vikings squad saw him in the long-term plans and for many good reasons when they acquired him in a trade on November 1 and nine times five days later (resulting in nine catches and 70 yards against Washington).
Hockenson had a total of 60 receptions for 519 yards and three scores on 86 targets in 10 games (seven starts) with Minnesota after showcasing his quick learning ability against the Commanders. In six games, he played 90 percent or more of the offensive snaps for the Vikings, and in nine games, he played at least 77 percent. The lone exception occurred in the regular-season finale against Chicago when Minnesota restricted starters’ playing time.
Hockenson set an NFL record for catches by a tight end in his first four games with a team with 26 receptions in his first four games with the Vikings. His 60 receptions through the final 10 weeks of 2022 were second only to Travis Kelce’s 63 receptions at the position.
In Week 16, the Chariton, Iowa, native outperformed expectations by collecting 13 catches for 109 yards and two touchdowns.
