Vikings Expected to Make Major Decision on T.J. Hockenson

The Minnesota Vikings are in a complete cap crunch to begin the 2026 offseason. They currently sit roughly around -$40 million in cap space for the coming year.

There is no need to panic, though. Minnesota can make a handful of moves and actually be around $40 million above the cap threshold. Key decision on players like Ryan Kelly, Aaron Jones, and some others get them there relatively quickly.

Another major move will have to come at the tight end position. T.J. Hockenson is not the player that he was in 2023, and with his cap number, that’s a major issue. Hockenson currently commands a $21.3 million 2026 cap number. Even at his best, he’s not worth that hit.

Vikings Will Have to Make Decision on Hockenson’s Future With the Team

ESPN recently wrote up a piece on the Vikings and their major roster decisions coming soon. One of the most pivotal is the decision about T.J. Hockenson.

“The Vikings’ top two tight ends are T.J. Hockenson and Josh Oliver, both of whom were veteran acquisitions. Their contracts combined to account for 9.6% of the team’s 2025 salary cap, fourth-highest in the NFL. Without adjustments they’ll consume more than $30 million on the 2026 cap.”

$30 million is in the neighborhood of what Sam Darnold signed on an average annual basis with the Seahawks. Surely, this isn’t a number that the Vikings want to keep a couple of mid-tier tight ends on.

“Hockenson’s production has decreased since a 2023 torn right ACL, and it’s not out of the question that the Vikings will ask him to take a pay cut or possibly move on from him altogether in 2026. In either event, they will have to be realistic about the depth behind him and Oliver.”

Minnesota could theoretically release Hockenson and have Oliver put up the same production. Hockenson only averaged roughly 3 catches and 29 yards per contest in 2025. The Vikings also have some young pieces in the tight end room they may have some excitement about.

“Adofo-Mensah used low-round picks to draft tight ends Nick Muse in 2022 and Gavin Bartholomew in 2025, but Muse moved on after the 2024 season and Bartholomew spent his rookie season on injured reserve. Ben Yurosek got 116 offensive snaps last season as an undrafted rookie, and the Vikings were excited to claim veteran Ben Sims off waivers in October, but it is impossible to project any of them for prominent roles in the 2026 offense.”

Could Minnesota Make a Splash Move at Tight End in 2026?

With the current situation at the position, it’s unlikely the Vikings would want to spend all that money there again after a potential release of Hockenson. Although, there are some attractive names in free agency.

Kyle Pitts, David Njoku, and Travis Kelce are just an example of who could be there when the free agency frenzy begins in March. It’s also not completely out of the question that the Vikings could spend early draft picks on a tight end in the 2026 NFL Draft.

Brevan Bane Brevan Bane is a sports scribe covering the NFL for Heavy.com, with a focus on the Minnesota Vikings and Cincinnati Bengals. Brevan began his writing career by making a platform on Twitter and leveraging his presence into writing and content creation opportunities for outlets like PurplePTSD, Vikings Territory, The Noise, Hockey Wilderness, and the VikesNow YouTube channel. You can follow him on X @brevmanbane. More about Brevan Bane