The Minnesota Vikings cleared their roster of a lot of overpaid players this offseason. But Bleacher Report’s Brad Gagnon argued Friday the team still has plenty of overpriced stars.
When tasked with choosing the most-overpaid player for every NFL team, Gagnon picked tight end T.J. Hockenson for Minnesota.
“The Vikings are loaded with strong candidates including Justin Jefferson, Jonathan Greenard and Will Fries, but at this point Hockenson has to be considered one of the most overpaid players in the league,” Gagnon wrote. “The former star has scored just three touchdowns since the start of 2024 and has fallen short of 500 yards in each of the last two seasons.
“Even after a recent restructure, his $15.6 million 2026 cap hit leads all tight ends.”
Hockenson entered the offseason as a cut candidate. The team and tight end, though, agreed to a contract adjustment on March 7 that saved the Vikings $5 million in cap space.
That was a victory for both sides, as it created cap room and allowed Hockenson to stay in Minnesota. But it didn’t prevent Hockenson from earning the dreaded “most-overpaid” title for the Vikings.
Hockenson will have a $15.6 million cap hit in 2026. His original contract — a 4-year, $66 million deal — paid the tight end an average annual salary of $16.5 million.
T.J. Hockenson Called Vikings ‘Most-Overpaid Player’
The Vikings and Hockenson made the tight end’s contract more favorable with the fresh deal this offseason. But clearly, that wasn’t enough, as Gagnon still called the veteran one of the most overpaid players in the entire league.
Based on Hockenson’s production, it’s hard to disagree with Gagnon’s assertion. But a serious knee injury is the main reason for the tight end’s decline.
Hockenson suffered a torn ACL and MCL at the end of the 2023 campaign. Before the injury, he had 95 receptions, 960 receiving yards and five touchdowns in 15 games.
The tight end hasn’t eclipsed those totals in the past two seasons combined since returning from the injury. In 2025, Hockenson had 51 receptions, 438 receiving yards and three touchdowns.
The veteran tight end will turn 29 in July. It doesn’t appear he will regain his pre-injury form.
From 2022-23, he averaged 90 catches and 937 receiving yards per season.
Vikings TE Entering Final Year of Contract
With the contract adjustment, it appears Hockenson will be able to finish his deal with the Vikings. He will become an unrestricted free agent in 2027.
Even with the lower cap number, Hockenson will have the highest cap hit for any tight end in the league this fall. Atlanta Falcons‘ Kyle Pitts is the only other tight end who has a cap hit above $15 million.
George Kittle and Evan Engram are the other two tight ends with cap hits exceeding $14 million.
Contracts like Hockenson’s was a significant reason why the Vikings were in such a bad salary cap situation this offseason.
In addition to Hockenson, the Vikings restructured running back Aaron Jones’s contract to keep him in Minnesota. The team also released defensive linemen Javon Hargrave and Jonathan Allen.
The Vikings might not be done either. Trading edge rusher Jonathan Greenard is still on the table.
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