EAGAN, Minn. — Minnesota Vikings tight end TJ Hockenson will miss at least the first four games of the season as he recovers from a torn anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) and anterior cruciate ligament (MCL) in his right knee.
The news had been expected since he was injured on Dec. 24 and was made official on Tuesday after the team decided to place him on the reserve/PUP list rather than keeping a spot open for him on the 53-man roster.
Hockenson took part in a series of intense workouts on the sidelines late in training camp, raising hopes he was ahead of schedule — a hope shared by head coach Kevin O’Connell — but ultimately the Vikings decided not to take a more aggressive approach with a player who signed a four-year contract extension worth at least $66 million last summer.
Hockenson’s medical team postponed ACL surgery for 36 days to allow the MCL to heal first, a common practice with this particular injury, and the expected nine-month recovery timeline always projected a late September/early October return.
He is scheduled to return in Week 5 at home against the Detroit Lions, coincidentally the team against which he sustained the injury.
The Vikings have the NFL’s most tight-end-friendly offense since acquiring Hockenson from the Lions in 2022. In 25 career games with the Vikings, Hockenson has caught more passes (155) than any other tight end in the NFL and has the second-most yards (1,479).
Last season, the Vikings led the league in targets by tight ends (179), and not just because receiver Justin Jefferson missed seven games with a hamstring injury. In O’Connell’s two seasons with the team, the Vikings were second in targets by tight ends (325) to only the Kansas City Chiefs (380), who featured veteran Travis Kelce, during that same span.
Hockenson has been targeted on 83.3% of the Vikings’ tight ends in the games he has played.
With Hockenson officially out, the Vikings are expected to use backup tight end Johnny Mandt as the primary receiver at the position, with backup Josh Oliver primarily in a run-blocking role.
