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The NFL trade deadline has already seen a couple of big moves get made, and the Minnesota Vikings and Detroit Lions decided to make an intra-division swap for tight end TJ Hockenson. Hockenson has become one of the best tight ends in the NFL recently, but has struggled to make his presence consistently felt with the Lions.
Hockenson will go from the 1-6 Lions to the 6-1 Vikings as part of this shocking swap, and adds to a Minnesota offense that was already among the most potent in the league. The Vikings gave up a 2023 second-round pick and a 2024 third-round pick to make this deal happen, while also receiving a pair of fourth-round picks in 2023 and 2024 in return from the Lions along with Hockenson.
This is the first big deal of deadline day, and it could have immediate repercussions for both sides. Let's take a closer look at this deal and hand out grades for both the Vikings and Lions and see who came out on top in this trade.
Minnesota Vikings grade: B
The Vikings offense as currently constructed is in a fantastic spot. Their passing attack is led by Kirk Cousins, who isn't the greatest quarterback in the world, but he has some very strong options in Justin Jefferson and Adam Thielen leading the way for him as his top targets. Plus, Dalvin Cook lurks as one of the top running backs behind him as well.
Cousins has rarely had a good tight end to work with during his time with Minnesota, and they were looking to be quite shorthanded at the position once Irv Smith Jr. suffered an ankle injury in Week 8, which we now know will keep him out for eight-to-ten weeks. The trade for TJ Hockenson made sense before Smith got injured, but now it looks even better for the Vikings.
Hockenson adds another element to the Vikings offense that didn't exist beforehand. Smith was a red zone threat before, but he didn't really factor into the game plan otherwise. Hockenson is a versatile pass catcher who can line up on the line or split out wide and act as another wide receiver at times. Minnesota was already tough to defend with Jefferson, Thielen and Cook leading the way; now Hockenson has to be accounted for as well.
The Vikings' haul to get Hockenson feels reasonable given his actual production, and the potential he has to take off in the Vikings offense. They also got a pair of fourth-round picks in return, which helps ease that loss, but likely accounts for the fact that Hockenson's contract goes from $536,111 this season to $9.3 million next season.
All in all, this is a pretty good deal for the Vikings. Giving up their second rounder in the 2023 draft will hurt, but the hope is that TJ Hockenson will make up for it. If he can quickly adapt to the Vikings offense, this deal, which already looks to be a win for Minnesota, could end up becoming quite the steal in the future.
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Detroit Lions grade: C
Rumors of a potential trade for Hockenson had been floating for a few days now, and the Lions surprisingly pulled the trigger on a deal, one that sends him to a team in their own division nonetheless. This is an interesting deal, but it feels like the Lions probably could have gotten more for TJ Hockenson.
The initial return of a 2023 second-rounder and a 2024 third-rounder isn't horrible, but it's worth remembering that Hockenson is still just 25 years old, and was the eighth overall pick of the 2019 NFL Draft. Hockenson never really reached his full potential with the Lions, but how much of that was actually his fault?
Whether it was poor quarterback play, or the fact that he was literally the only solid playmaker the Lions had at times, Hockenson had a lot working against him for much of his time with Detroit. That dampens his value a bit, but not to the point where the Lions should have had to give up a pair of fourth-round picks for this deal to go through. This deal ultimately looks a lot better if they don't sacrifice those two picks.
Hockenson was also still an important piece of the Lions offense, and this makes them significantly weaker in the present. Hockenson has struggled to find consistency this season, but his eight catch, 179 yard, two touchdown performance against the Seattle Seahawks earlier this season showed what he is capable of in a high-functioning offense.
The Vikings now have the potential to be that high-functioning offense, and they didn't really give up a ton to get Hockenson considering they replaced their outgoing picks with a pair of fourth-rounders. The Lions will be happy to get some more draft picks, but this feels like a forced move, and Detroit may ultimately regret this deal if TJ Hockenson stays with the Vikings for the long-term future.
