Post by Purple Pain on Aug 26, 2023 8:22:47 GMT -6
The Athletic: Alec Lewis and Jon Krawczynski
How do you feel about the T.J. Hockenson situation?
Lewis: Puzzled feels like the right word.
On Monday, I posed this question to Hockenson: Do you expect to be good to go Sept. 10?
“Yeah,” he said. “I’ll be ready by then, for sure. That’s the goal. That’s what it’ll be. I’m just looking forward to it.”
The tight end has not practiced fully for much of training camp due to what he first described as an ear infection that affected his equilibrium. Coach Kevin O’Connell said Wednesday that back stiffness has kept Hockenson out more recently. Meanwhile, the Vikings, who have been open about wanting to sign Hockenson to an extension, have not been able to find common ground.
If Hockenson does indeed play in Week 1, what type of leverage will he have in negotiating a new deal? And if a deal is not reached and Hockenson does return, how willing will he be next offseason to stick around in the event the Vikings place the franchise tag on him? Maybe we’re getting ahead of ourselves, but this is definitely something Minnesota must sort through.
Krawczynski: Uneasy.
Is Hockenson “holding in” right now? Maybe, maybe not. But he is an enormous part of the Vikings offense, an element who will likely play a major role in whether the unit rises into the top 10 or languishes in the middle. He and Cousins showed a very fast chemistry after he came over in the trade with the Detroit Lions, but the lack of training camp reps can’t be a good thing.
I think it is something Cousins and Hockenson can overcome. It doesn’t have to be the end of the world, and I’m not losing sleep over it at this point. But I don’t know how you can look at the situation and say: “No big deal. Everything will be fine.” Maybe it will be. But I’ll have to see it to believe it. With Dianna Russini and Alec reporting that Hockenson and the Vikings are far apart on a deal, it doesn’t seem like this is headed for a resolution very soon.
Lewis: Puzzled feels like the right word.
On Monday, I posed this question to Hockenson: Do you expect to be good to go Sept. 10?
“Yeah,” he said. “I’ll be ready by then, for sure. That’s the goal. That’s what it’ll be. I’m just looking forward to it.”
The tight end has not practiced fully for much of training camp due to what he first described as an ear infection that affected his equilibrium. Coach Kevin O’Connell said Wednesday that back stiffness has kept Hockenson out more recently. Meanwhile, the Vikings, who have been open about wanting to sign Hockenson to an extension, have not been able to find common ground.
If Hockenson does indeed play in Week 1, what type of leverage will he have in negotiating a new deal? And if a deal is not reached and Hockenson does return, how willing will he be next offseason to stick around in the event the Vikings place the franchise tag on him? Maybe we’re getting ahead of ourselves, but this is definitely something Minnesota must sort through.
Krawczynski: Uneasy.
Is Hockenson “holding in” right now? Maybe, maybe not. But he is an enormous part of the Vikings offense, an element who will likely play a major role in whether the unit rises into the top 10 or languishes in the middle. He and Cousins showed a very fast chemistry after he came over in the trade with the Detroit Lions, but the lack of training camp reps can’t be a good thing.
I think it is something Cousins and Hockenson can overcome. It doesn’t have to be the end of the world, and I’m not losing sleep over it at this point. But I don’t know how you can look at the situation and say: “No big deal. Everything will be fine.” Maybe it will be. But I’ll have to see it to believe it. With Dianna Russini and Alec reporting that Hockenson and the Vikings are far apart on a deal, it doesn’t seem like this is headed for a resolution very soon.
... and neither is this Chris guy.