Vikings’ TJ Hockenson starts season on reserve/PUP list

EAGAN, Minn. — Minnesota Vikings tight end TJ Hockenson will miss at least the first four games of the season as he recovers from torn anterior and median cruciate ligaments in his right knee.

The news, which had been anticipated since he suffered the injury on December 24, was made official on Tuesday after the team decided to place him on the reserve/PUP list rather than hold a spot open for him on the 53-man roster.

Hockenson participated in a series of intense workouts on a sideline during the final stages of training camp, raising hopes that he was ahead of schedule. Coach Kevin O’Connell had hopes, too, but the Vikings ultimately decided against a more aggressive approach with a player they signed to a four-year contract extension worth at least $66 million last summer.

Hockenson’s medical team delayed his ACL surgery for 36 days to allow the MCL to heal first, a standard practice for this particular injury. The expected nine-month recovery time always predicted a late September/early October return.

He was cleared to return for the Week 5 home game against the Detroit Lions, coincidentally the team he suffered the injury against.

Since acquiring Hockenson from the Lions in 2022, the Vikings have had one of the most tight-end-friendly offenses in the NFL. In 25 career games with the Vikings, Hockenson has caught more passes (155) than any other tight end in the NFL and has the second-most yards (1,479).

Last season, the Vikings led the league in tight end targets (179), and not just because receiver Justin Jefferson missed seven games with a hamstring injury. In O’Connell’s two seasons with the team, the Vikings rank second in tight end targets (325), trailing only the Kansas City Chiefs (380), who were without veteran receiver Travis Kelce during that span.

Hockenson accounted for 83.3 percent of the Vikings’ tight end targets in the games he played in.

Now that Hockenson’s absence is official, the Vikings are expected to use reserve tight end Johnny Mundt as their primary receiver at the position, with fellow reserve Josh Oliver serving primarily in a run-blocking role.