Minnesota Vikings are likely to approach T.J. Hockenson for a paycut. Here’s how they can get it done to help both sides

It could end up benefitting both sides to agree upon a paycut for T.J. Hockenson.

Tyler Forness — NFL & College Football News Writer
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Nov 30, 2025; Seattle, Washington, USA; Minnesota Vikings tight end T.J. Hockenson (87) makes a catch during the second half against the Seattle Seahawks at Lumen Field.
Kevin Ng-Imagn Images

The Minnesota Vikings have been making a lot of moves to get under the salary cap. So far, they have made or are planning to make seven moves to get compliant with the salary cap:

There are still a few other moves they could end up making, including the potential trade of edge rusher Jonathan Greenard. The move that many in the fanbase are looking at is a restructure, cut, trade, or paycut for tight end T.J. Hockenson.

T.J. Hockenson took a step back in 2025

Hockenson didn’t have the best season this past year. He put up similar numbers to what he did in 2024, with 51 receptions for 438 yards and three touchdowns, and he didn’t miss half the season in 2025 as he did in 2024, recovering from a torn ACL.

I asked the fanbase why they wanted to move on from Hockenson and what their plan would be to fix him. Their response essentially said that Hockenson was washed and they can get anyone to replace him.

The lack of production from Hockenson is definitely a thing, especially when you see that he had four drops, and the second-highest drop percentage at 7.3% in his career. While he has taken a slight step back after his torn ACL, there are two main reasons behind the drop in production:

  • Bad quarterback play with poor ball placement
  • He was used too often to chip, which severely impacted his routes

Those are huge factors behind the dip in production. Those aren’t the fault of Hockenson, but it still makes it a difficult proposition to pay him a total of $16 million in cash and a salary cap hit of over $21 million in 2026.

Here’s how a paycut can work for T.J. Hockenson

In 2025, Hockenson was the fourth-highest tight end based on average annual value at $16.5 million per season. That’s a lot to pay Hockenson at this point. He hasn’t lived up to that contract yet, but some of that is due to the torn ACL he suffered at the end of the 2023 season against the Detroit Lions.

Now, cutting Hockenson would save the Vikings just $8.87 million on the salary cap with $12.425 million in dead money. Not only would it be expensive to cut him, but the Vikings would have to find a suitable replacement for him, which in itself could cost more than the $8.87 million they would save.

How can both sides work on a paycut to make both parties happy? Simple: figure out how much he would make on the open market and pay him that.

It has to start with the idea that Hockenson won’t return to the Vikings without a paycut. Otherwise, the Vikings don’t have any leverage. Hockenson having no guaranteed money left is also a big factor here. He does have $2.3 million vesting on March 15th, but that isn’t a lot of money in the entire scope of this discussion.

For example, if Hockenson gets the 10th-best AAV tight end money, he would get $12.1 million. Drop it down to 15th, and it’s $10 million. Considering he is on his second contract and going into his eighth season, the latter is more likely.

If you go to Hockenson and guarantee him $10 million to take a $6 million paycut, there is a chance he takes it because of what the market will look like in free agency. That’s a huge factor of the entire conversation. It has to make sense for Hockenson to take that much of a paycut and still maximize his return.

If they can agree on a paycut, it would benefit the Vikings, and it could still maximize the earnings Hockenson has in 2026.

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