Vikings make splash, trading for T.J. Hockenson: 'Nowhere I'd rather be'
T.J. Hockenson spoke Wednesday from TCO Performance Center in Eagan about the trade that sent him to the Minnesota Vikings.
MINNEAPOLIS - The NFL trade deadline on Tuesday was one of the busiest in recent memory, and the Minnesota Vikings were in the thick of it with one of the biggest moves of the day.
With Irv Smith Jr. going down for the second time this season, suffering a high ankle sprain in the fourth quarter of Sunday’s 34-26 win over the Arizona Cardinals, the Vikings were going to be without their top tight end. But for how long, they don’t know. With a 6-1 record, a five-game win streak and a 3.5-game lead in the NFC North, Kwesi Adofo-Mensah and his staff took a swing.
They made a phone call to the Detroit Lions, acquiring T.J. Hockenson for a pair of future draft picks. The former Iowa star is staying within the NFC North, but is now on a winning team looking to make a playoff push.
"We try to be judicious with our opportunities, and this just happened to be one of them. T.J. is a great fit, incredible player. He’s competitive, he fits into our culture," Adofo-Mensah said Wednesday. "I think we’re just excited about the opportunity, he embodies a lot of the themes we talk about."
Excited is a word Hockenson used multiple times when speaking with reporters on Wednesday at TCO Performance Center. He leaves a 1-6 team to one that likely has a postseason to plan for.
"I saw the memes. It’s cool, I’m excited to be part of a program that we can do something with. We’re looking beyond 17 and looking down the road for sure," Hockenson said. "I’m just excited, there’s no telling where this place can go and I’m just trying to be a piece of that."
A former top-10 pick, Hockenson has 186 catches for 2,068 yards and 15 touchdowns in 47 career games. This season, he has 26 catches for 395 yards and three touchdowns, averaging 15.2 yards per catch.
In Week 3, he had four catches for 18 yards and a touchdown against the Vikings at U.S. Bank Stadium, a 28-24 win for Minnesota. In Sunday’s win over the Cardinals, the Vikings got touchdowns from Kirk Cousins, Dalvin Cook, Alexander Mattison, KJ Osborn and Johnny Mundt’s first career score. He now joins an offense that features Cook, Justin Jefferson and Adam Thielen with Irv Smith Jr. sidelined.
"Just adding a player of T.J.’s caliber in a moment where we’re kind of coming into our groove. I see a fit in a lot of the things we try to do. It’s just a matter of bringing in a player here that you feel has tremendous upside in our offense," Vikings coach Kevin O’Connell said.
"Great player. When you play against him, he’s always a target. We’ll try to get him the ball, glad to have him on this sideline. We’re just glad we got him, looking forward to getting some wins with him," running back Dalvin Cook said.
Hockenson flew to the Twin Cities Tuesday night, and soon after, got a team-issued iPad to go over plays and get a feel for the offense. Kirk Cousins asked the Vikings’ video crew to put together a cut-up of Hockenson’s touchdowns, third down conversions and his highlights with the Hawkeyes that made him a top-10 pick.
"Getting T.J. was big news. Excited about having him here and what he can bring for our offense," Cousins said. "I want to see him at his absolute best, see what he’s done as a player and that will help me better understand him in the game. What’s their ceiling, and then it’s my job to access that ceiling as much as possible."
Hockenson joked Wednesday that he feels like a rookie again, having new faces to get to know around TCO Performance Center. His quarterbacks have been Matthew Stafford and Jared Goff, and now Cousins.
"Great dude, a guy that can lead a team somewhere. That’s really what we’re here to do is go somewhere and win some games," Hockenson said. "That’s kind of the first time I’ve been able to say that. I’m pretty excited."
His parents still live in Iowa, which is now a 4.5-hour drive to come up for Vikings’ home games. He had to get about 30 tickets for the Week 3 game at U.S. Bank Stadium. He grew up with his dad being a Vikings’ fan, a room in their house painted purple and yellow and his favorite player being Adrian Peterson.
Now, their son and one of the better tight ends in the NFL is with the Vikings.
"It’s kind of hitting home for sure," Hockenson said. "I’m super excited to be here, excited to have a role and have a piece in this puzzle. There’s nowhere I’d rather be."