While the start of the 2026 NFL regular season is sadly still more than three months away, that certainly won't stop fans and pundits alike from analyzing every aspect of every team from now until that first snap is taken in September.
Recently, our pal Austen Bundy at FanSided took the route of listing one player from every NFC North team who he believes is facing a make-or-break campaign in 2026, and his selection for the Minnesota Vikings was veteran tight end T.J. Hockenson, with the following being his reasoning:
"The 28-year-old is playing on a restructured four-year deal with Minnesota, which indicates the team is already looking for ways to save money as it looks to the future.
Hockenson recorded 438 receiving yards and three touchdowns last year in 15 appearances, well below his usual production.
That could've been a mix of quarterback inconsistency, but with Kyler Murray likely to take the reins all of 2026, he needs to re-emerge as a complementary top weapon alongside Justin Jefferson.
Minnesota refrained from drafting a tight end in the 2026 draft despite backup Josh Oliver already being a question mark if Hockenson were to go down for a significant amount of time.
That shows confidence in the starter, but with his restructured deal, Hockenson is a free agent after the end of this season, and the team could move on to find a younger (and cheaper) replacement."
For those wondering, Bundy's other choices were defensive end Dayo Odeyingbo for the Chicago Bears, running back Isiah Pacheco for the Detroit Lions, and wideout Christian Watson for the Green Bay Packers.
But let's get back to Hockenson.
Minnesota Vikings TE T.J. Hockenson took a $5 million pay cut for the 2026 season
The Vikings put a lot of faith (and money) into Hockenson after acquiring him from the Detroit Lions during the 2022 season.
After just 10 games in a Minnesota uniform, during which he tallied 60 catches for 519 yards with three touchdowns, the Iowa alum was given a four-year, $66 million extension.
And in his first full season with the Vikes, Hockenson looked like he was worthy of the big payday, as he recorded a career-high 960 yards on 95 grabs with five touchdowns before his 2023 campaign came to an abrupt end when he suffered both a torn ACL and MCL in Week 16 against Detroit.
Naturally, that injury rolled over into the 2024 season, and he ultimately appeared in just 10 games, posting 455 yards on 41 grabs with zero touchdowns, although he did get a score in the Vikings' wild-card defeat to the Los Angeles Rams.
As Bundy mentioned, Hockenson only had 51 catches for 438 yards and three touchdowns in 15 games this past year, but it's certainly no secret that numbers were down across the board among Minnesota pass-catchers, given the issues the team had at quarterback.
Even Justin Jefferson struggled to hit the 1,000-yard mark, needing a 101-yard game in Week 18 against the Packers to reach the milestone for the sixth straight season.
Even so, Hockenson hasn't quite looked like a two-time Pro Bowler since his injury, and rumors swirled this offseason that he could potentially be a cut candidate if his contract wasn't adjusted, as he was actually set to have the highest salary cap figure of any tight end in the NFL at a whopping $21.3 million.
His contract was ultimately restructured, but in addition to Hockenson taking a pay cut of $5 million, he also had the final year of his contract deleted, thus making him a free agent once this 2026 campaign concludes.
So, there's certainly some pressure to perform, as he's now playing for a new deal in 2027, whether with the Vikings or someone else. And whether it's Kyler Murray or J.J. McCarthy under center this season, that could prove difficult.
Yes, Hockenson will get his touches, but not only is he battling Jefferson and Jordan Addison for targets as he has been the last few years, but Jauan Jennings will certainly be looking for plenty of passes thrown in his direction as well.
We now just have to sit back and wait to see how things play out.
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