Minnesota Vikings tight end T.J. Hockenson suffered a horrendous knee injury late in the season, and the recovery timetable might be even longer than originally anticipated.
During an appearance on Mackey & Judd, Vikings insider Darren Wolfson provided a rather grim injury update on the star pass-catcher.
“Here’s some doom-and-gloom, something to think about: I checked this week on T.J. Hockenson,” Wolfson said. “I texted one person who said when I asked, ‘Hey, did he undergo surgery yet?’ … This one person said, ‘Not to my knowledge.’ When it’s multiple ligaments, it wasn’t going to be immediate. So it was always going to be mid-to-late January. But as we sit here on January 25th, I guess me personally, I’m still awaiting word that he’s undergone said surgery.”
The fact that Hockenson has not yet undergone surgery after a month is certainly a bit jarring, particularly given the severity of the injury.
Hockenson was brilliant in 15 games this season, hauling in 95 receptions for 960 yards and five touchdowns in what was the most productive campaign of his NFL career.
However, now that he has this nightmarish injury to deal with, you have to wonder just how effective he will be once he returns to the field.
The 26-year-old, who played his collegiate football at the University of Iowa, was originally selected by the Detroit Lions with the eighth overall pick of the 2019 NFL Draft.
Hockenson spent three-and-a-half seasons with the Lions, making one Pro Bowl appearance. He was then traded to the Vikings midway through the 2022 campaign, where he proceeded to earn his second Pro Bowl selection after totaling 86 catches for 914 yards and six scores in 16 games between Detroit and Minnesota.
The Vikings went just 7-10 this season, largely due to a myriad of injuries that plagued their team. We’ll see if T.J. Hockenson can get back on track in 2024. Hopefully, he is able to make a full recovery.
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