Ear Infection: TJH
Tight end T.J. Hockenson said his limited participation in Vikings training camp since Aug. 3 has been due to an ear infection.
He was a full participant in Monday's walkthrough — running routes and catching passes from Kirk Cousins — but Hockenson clarified afterward that he's still on the mend.
"I'm starting to get cleared up," Hockenson said Monday. "I had an ear infection that was messing with my equilibrium. Just taking it slow and trying to get back as quick as I can."
Head coach Kevin O'Connell would like to see Hockenson with the first-team offense again when the Tennessee Titans arrive in Eagan for joint practices Wednesday and Thursday. When asked if he'd be ready, Hockenson said he's "taking it day by day."
"The hope is we can start working him back in," O'Connell said Sunday. "This is a pretty critical part of our preparation for the season, especially with our plan for some of our starters, and I know T.J. will be out there when he is ready to go."
Hockenson, a former first-round pick of the Lions acquired in a trade last season, is entering the final year of his contract. He has deflected attention away from contract negotiations this offseason, while also saying, "I hope to be here for a long time."
Retaining Hockenson will be costly. Only the Chiefs' Travis Kelce had more catches and yards at the position than Hockenson after Week 9, when he was acquired by Minnesota. Kelce is one of five NFL tight ends making more than $14 million annually.
He said Monday that his focus is on Sept. 10 vs. the Buccaneers.
"I want to be out there with the boys," Hockenson said. "But on the same hand, I got to get ready for September and that's what I'm looking forward to."
https://www.startribune.com/minnesota-vikings-tj-hockenson-ear-infection-training-camp-brian-oneill/600297082/
Hurry-up Vikings, we ain't getting any younger!
Wetlander,
The thread is too long for me to quote so here is my response. You make some very valid points.
| Player | Team | Age | Total Value | Avg./Year | Total Guaranteed | Fully Guaranteed | Free Agency |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Darren Waller | Giants | 31 | $51,000,000 | $17,000,000 | $22,000,000 | $19,250,000 | 2027 UFA |
| George Kittle | 49ers | 30 | $75,000,000 | $15,000,000 | $40,000,000 | $30,000,000 | 2026 Void |
| Travis Kelce | Chiefs | 34 | $57,250,000 | $14,312,500 | $23,000,000 | $21,000,000 | 2026 UFA |
| Dallas Goedert | Eagles | 28 | $57,000,000 | $14,250,000 | $35,127,549 | $14,877,549 | 2026 Void |
| Mark Andrews | Ravens | 28 | $56,000,000 | $14,000,000 | $37,583,059 | $30,083,059 | 2026 UFA |
| Evan Engram | Jaguars | 29 | $41,250,000 | $13,750,000 | $25,500,000 | $24,000,000 | 2026 Void |
| David Njoku | Browns | 27 | $54,750,000 | $13,687,500 | $28,000,000 | $17,000,000 | 2026 Void |
| Dawson Knox | Bills | 27 | $52,000,000 | $13,000,000 | $31,200,000 | $19,920,000 | 2027 UFA |
| Hunter Henry | Patriots | 29 | $37,500,000 | $12,500,000 | $25,000,000 | $25,000,000 | 2024 UFA |
| Cole Kmet | Bears | 24 | $50,000,000 | $12,500,000 | $32,793,000 | $22,893,000 | 2028 UFA |
| Zach Ertz | Cardinals | 33 | $31,650,000 | $10,550,000 | $17,500,000 | $14,500,000 | 2025 Void |
| Taysom Hill | Saints | 33 | $40,000,000 | $10,000,000 | $21,500,000 | $10,100,000 | 2026 Void |
I posted the top 12 TE's above in Compensation. When I said closer to $13 Million, I didn't mean literally $13 Million but something closer to $13M vs. Waller's $17M. However, Mark Andrews to me is a good comparison based on Age and the 4 year extension he signed this time last year. His stats are better than TJ's and he is a better blocker and more complete TE than TJ. The question I have is what did Kwesi and Vikings know about TJ and his Agent's contract demands and when did they know it before making the trade?
The Lions received our 2nd in 2023 and our 3rd in 2024 while the Vikings received Hockenson, the Lions' 2023 4th rounder which we traded to Kansas City for their 4th in 2023(Jay Ward), and their 4th in 2024 because the Vikings didn't win their playoff game against the Giants which would have turned it into their 5th.
A lot to unpack here, but the Vikings intention to sign TJ to an extension may have changed in the offseason after they signed Oliver at a much lower cost than what TJ and his agent are demanding. If they let him walk after the 2024 season(assuming he plays under the Franchise Tag), they will also get a comp pick to help mitigate the cost of the trade. I think Oliver's camp performance has really opened their eyes after getting all the first team reps, plus they have depth in Mundt, and Muse is looking like another great find if they can create a spot for him. Just like the 49ers plans changed when Purdy surprised everyone with his performance last year which ended the Trey Lance experiment despite giving up three 1sts and a 3rd to Miami. JJ's contract will be historic, and I don't see any way the Vikings can let Kirk walk out the door next year and absorb a $28.5 Million Dead Cap Hit so that has to be factoring into a lot of contract stuff that needs to be sorted out.
@"supafreak84" said:@"minny65" said:@"supafreak84" said: https://sidelionreport.com/posts/recent-news-further-confirms-lions-have-already-won--tj-hockenson-tradeLions already claiming "victory" in Hockenson trade with Vikings for the same reasons I was saying it might have been a smarter play for the Vikings to sit tight and draft a guy in a historically deep TE draft crop..
Fully evaluating the "winner" and "loser" from an NFL trade with players and draft picks in it would usually take longer. Like after said draft picks become players, then said players have played some meaningful games. But the Hockenson deal can already be called as a win for the Lions.What the hell kind of conclusion is that? We have an all pro TE that we will have to pay FMV and the Lions have two unknown draft picks, where is the win?
The win would be they didn't value him at the cost of paying him top 2 or 3 money, and we're able to parlay him into draft picks and drafted Sam LaPorta in the second round, who has reportedly been very impressive in camp, and have him on a rookie contract for the next four years.I think the Vikings made the trade in an attempt to get over the hump last year and compete for the Super Bowl. It was a gamble that didn't pay off and now we are going to have to pay him big money....on top of trying to find money to pay Jefferson a record contract and eventually Darrisaw. Never mind the fact that we have no long term answer at QB unless we extend Kirk, which will be another big money contract. There's only so much pie to go around.
LaPorta has had a good camp which means what...nothing when the lights come on! We have to pay, and the Lions would have had to pay, Top money for a Top TE..shocking! We sign Hock for Top Money and next year it will be the equivalent of Top 5-10 money and if he plays like a Top 5 money we win easily. CAP keeps going up and as each top player at a position sets the market the following year it suddenly becomes a very reasonable contract if they perform.Granted, if Hock sucks the next few years and we are paying him top money we lose. But way too early to give anyone a win or loss based a guy that looks good in camp - IMO.
@"minny65" said:@"supafreak84" said:@"minny65" said:@"supafreak84" said: https://sidelionreport.com/posts/recent-news-further-confirms-lions-have-already-won--tj-hockenson-tradeLions already claiming "victory" in Hockenson trade with Vikings for the same reasons I was saying it might have been a smarter play for the Vikings to sit tight and draft a guy in a historically deep TE draft crop..
Fully evaluating the "winner" and "loser" from an NFL trade with players and draft picks in it would usually take longer. Like after said draft picks become players, then said players have played some meaningful games. But the Hockenson deal can already be called as a win for the Lions.What the hell kind of conclusion is that? We have an all pro TE that we will have to pay FMV and the Lions have two unknown draft picks, where is the win?
The win would be they didn't value him at the cost of paying him top 2 or 3 money, and we're able to parlay him into draft picks and drafted Sam LaPorta in the second round, who has reportedly been very impressive in camp, and have him on a rookie contract for the next four years.I think the Vikings made the trade in an attempt to get over the hump last year and compete for the Super Bowl. It was a gamble that didn't pay off and now we are going to have to pay him big money....on top of trying to find money to pay Jefferson a record contract and eventually Darrisaw. Never mind the fact that we have no long term answer at QB unless we extend Kirk, which will be another big money contract. There's only so much pie to go around.
LaPorta has had a good camp which means what...nothing when the lights come on! We have to pay, and the Lions would have had to pay, Top money for a Top TE..shocking! We sign Hock for Top Money and next year it will be the equivalent of Top 5-10 money and if he plays like a Top 5 money we win easily. CAP keeps going up and as each top player at a position sets the market the following year it suddenly becomes a very reasonable contract if they perform.Granted, if Hock sucks the next few years and we are paying him top money we lose. But way too early to give anyone a win or loss based a guy that looks good in camp - IMO.
It's just about money allocation, not that Hock isn't a really good TE. The Lions did not want to pay a huge TE contract because it didn't figure into their rebuild. The huge contract is now the Vikings issue to deal with and that's fine, but when you have these other huge contract on the horizon it makes me wonder if we can do it without crippling the rest of the roster. The salary cap is set to where you can only have so many stars making huge money. It's exactly why the Chiefs were forced to move Tyreek Hill.
How much influence does Rob Brzezinski have in this, I was of the impression he played a strategic role in managing cap money?
@"supafreak84" said:@"minny65" said:@"supafreak84" said:@"minny65" said:@"supafreak84" said: https://sidelionreport.com/posts/recent-news-further-confirms-lions-have-already-won--tj-hockenson-tradeLions already claiming "victory" in Hockenson trade with Vikings for the same reasons I was saying it might have been a smarter play for the Vikings to sit tight and draft a guy in a historically deep TE draft crop..
Fully evaluating the "winner" and "loser" from an NFL trade with players and draft picks in it would usually take longer. Like after said draft picks become players, then said players have played some meaningful games. But the Hockenson deal can already be called as a win for the Lions.What the hell kind of conclusion is that? We have an all pro TE that we will have to pay FMV and the Lions have two unknown draft picks, where is the win?
The win would be they didn't value him at the cost of paying him top 2 or 3 money, and we're able to parlay him into draft picks and drafted Sam LaPorta in the second round, who has reportedly been very impressive in camp, and have him on a rookie contract for the next four years.I think the Vikings made the trade in an attempt to get over the hump last year and compete for the Super Bowl. It was a gamble that didn't pay off and now we are going to have to pay him big money....on top of trying to find money to pay Jefferson a record contract and eventually Darrisaw. Never mind the fact that we have no long term answer at QB unless we extend Kirk, which will be another big money contract. There's only so much pie to go around.
LaPorta has had a good camp which means what...nothing when the lights come on! We have to pay, and the Lions would have had to pay, Top money for a Top TE..shocking! We sign Hock for Top Money and next year it will be the equivalent of Top 5-10 money and if he plays like a Top 5 money we win easily. CAP keeps going up and as each top player at a position sets the market the following year it suddenly becomes a very reasonable contract if they perform.Granted, if Hock sucks the next few years and we are paying him top money we lose. But way too early to give anyone a win or loss based a guy that looks good in camp - IMO.
It's just about money allocation, not that Hock isn't a really good TE. The Lions did not want to pay a huge TE contract because it didn't figure into their rebuild. The huge contract is now the Vikings issue to deal with and that's fine, but when you have these other huge contract on the horizon it makes me wonder if we can do it without crippling the rest of the roster. The salary cap is set to where you can only have so many stars making huge money. It's exactly why the Chiefs were forced to move Tyreek Hill.
Good point but still way too early to declare a winner. I would say it is a win/win right now.
@"savannahskol" said: Earache? Earache, my eye!This shit better get worked out before I take Hock in the second round of my FF drafts.
Take Darren Waller instead. Then Irv Smith Jr in the last round. Thank me later.
Reportedly signed his extension. Details to be released, but expected to be amongst the highest paid TE's in the league per Rapsheet
@"supafreak84" said: Reportedly signed his extension. Details to be released, but expected to be amongst the highest paid TE's in the league per RapsheetHighest paid TE.....highest paid WRer.....soon to be highest paid LT. Meanwhile, back on the defense:
And is there really room to extend Cousins or are we going with a rookie QB.
@"ThunderGod" said: And is there really room to extend Cousins or are we going with a rookie QB.Both? I think if Cousins has a good year, he will be extended. And there will be room considering that his cap hit will likely go down. The key to it all will be the acceleration years for Kirk, JJ and TJ. They can't coincide.
Either way, I think we take a QB with our 1st rounder in the '24 draft. I think the only way that doesn't happen is if Cousins is awesome AND we see some just ridiculous development happening with Hall.
Edit Post (mod action — author will see a notice)
Warn Poster
Suspend User (3 days)
The user will be suspended for 3 days and will receive an email with the reason and information about how to appeal.