It’s Pretty Much a Contract Year for One Key Vikings Pass-Catcher

The Minnesota Vikings will begin arguably their most anticipated regular season in franchise history in just four days time. This, after a full year of waiting for the debut of 2024 No. 10 overall draft pick, JJ McCarthy. Monday night, in Chicago, the wait ends.

But what will it take for McCarthy to have a successful redshirt rookie season in the NFL? Well, it starts with what his coaches want most, which is efficiency. If JJ can manage the offense and get the ball to Minnesota’s ultra-talented group of offensive weapons, the Vikings would be very happy with that.

The 2025 MN Vikings offense has been reconstructed to better support a first time starting quarterback. The offensive line has been in three different spots and now includes a deeper, more talented backfield, thanks to the addition of Jordan Mason.

And when McCarthy’s name is called, he’ll drop back looking for the best wide receiver in the NFL, Justin Jefferson, along with newly acquired homecoming kid, Adam Thielen. Come week four, after he serves a three-game “wet reckless” suspension, Jordan Addison will also be added into that mix.

Everything on the line for TJ Hockenson this season

Then, there is trusty tight end TJ Hockenson, a young quarterback’s best friend. McCarthy liked utilizing his tight ends in the pass game at Michigan, which is good news for Hock, who may need JJ McCarthy to develop into a competent NFL starting quarterback in year one, more than any other pass-catcher on the MN Vikings roster.

Why is that? Because, while Minnesota’s 28 year-old tight end remains under contract with the Vikings through 2027, there is a massive change in structure, following the 2025 season.

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Hockenson, who holds the fourth-highest cap hit of any tight end in football in 2025, at $16.6 million, will see his cap figure balloon to $21.4 million in 2026, which is currently set to be the second-highest of any tight end, behind only David Njoku’s $24.3M (Spotrac).

In all likelihood, TJ Hockenson will NOT play under his current contract in 2026. Either the Minnesota Vikings work out a new deal between now and the start of next season, or they trade/cut him. If they were to cut the former Lion out of the University of Iowa, they’d save up to $16 million against the 2026 cap.

Minnesota Vikings tight end back to full health

That’s why the 2025 season is pretty much a contract year for Hockenson. But it’s not just any contract year. TJ is coming off a season where he played in just 10 games, thanks to a knee injury and rehabilitation that lasted well into 2024.

Now far removed from that injury, Hockenson openly admits he did not feel like the same guy last year, when he returned. He still found a way to put up 455 yards, but didn’t find the endzone even one time in 10 weeks.

Hockenson incorporated something new to his training because of how he felt after missing training camp last year and the first seven games of the regular season.

“I was a step slower than I wanted to be, and I knew that after a couple games,” he said. “Toward the end of the year, I got more comfortable, and I got back to where I wanted to be.”

Star Tribune

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Thus, TJ Hockenson must prove to the NFL world that he is still one of the best tight ends in football. If he can, his new contract this offseason will remain in the realm of other top talents at the position.

If not, his offers from both the Minnesota Vikings and elsewhere will be considered underwhelming, compared to what he’s being paid now. So it’s very important that TJ Hockenson and JJ McCarthy develop rapport as quickly as possible this season. Not just for the team’s future, but for the tight end’s too.