Vikings tight end T.J. Hockenson vows to be ready for Sept. 10 season openerHe has been limited for the past couple of weeks as he deals with the lingering effects of an ear infection.Like he’s done for much of the past couple of weeks, tight end T.J. Hockenson went through warmups with the Vikings on Monday at TCO Performance Center, then exited stage left while the rest of his teammates continued to practice.
“We’re taking it day by day,” Hockenson said. “Obviously I want to be out there.”
It still raises the question: What the heck is going on with Hockenson?
The most activity he has been through over the past couple of weeks has come in walkthroughs where there isn’t any contact.
Talking to reporters last week Hockenson said his limited participation was due to an ear infection that was impacting his equilibrium. Talking to reporters this week, Hockenson provided even fewer details about the situation at hand, only vowing that he would be back to full participation as soon as he could.
“It sucks,” he said. “It is what it is. It’s just making me want to be out there more with the guys. I’ll be ready to go in September, and that’s really when I need to be.”
Though he hasn’t been able to go 100 percent in practice, Hockenson said he isn’t worried about being behind when the Sept. 10 season opener against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers rolls around. He has been trying to stay involved with the game plan as much as possible. Even when he isn’t in the huddle.
“I’m upstairs getting all the reps mentally,” he said. “That doesn’t really affect me at all.”
Asked if his limited participation had anything to do with the fact that he’s is still waiting on a contract extension, Hockenson replied, “That’s not my focus.” Asked if the contract negotiations were ongoing, Hockenson deferred to his agent, Neil Cornrich.
It’s worth noting that Hockenson is set to make about $9.3 million this season as he finishes up his rookie contract, with nothing guaranteed beyond that.
It does seem likely that the Vikings work something out with Hockenson at some point. They acquired him from the Detroit Lions last season, and he went on to make 60 catches for 519 yards.
As of right now, the ultimate goal seems to be making sure Hockenson is good to go for the regular-season opener next month. He left little doubt about that, saying, “I’ll be ready by then for sure.”
As for joint practices against the Arizona Cardinals this week, it sounds as if Hockenson is still in the process of determining what he can do on the field. In his absence, tight ends Josh Oliver, Johnny Mundt and, occasionally, Nick Muse have been handling most of the reps.
https://www.twincities.com/2023/08/21/vikings-tight-end-t-j-hockenson-vows-to-be-ready-for-sept-10-season-opener/