NFL: Minnesota Vikings' TJ Hockenson signs deal to become league's highest-paid tight end
Watch live on Sky Sports as the NFL season gets under way late overnight on Thursday September 7, as the Detroit Lions face the Kansas City Chiefs from 1.10am on Sky Sports Action
Thursday 31 August 2023 21:31, UK
TJ Hockenson has agreed a contract extension with the Minnesota Vikings that is set to make him the highest-paid tight end in the NFL.
NFL Network reported on Thursday that Hockenson has signed a four-year deal worth $68.5m, with the average annual value of $17.125m topping the market for tight ends.
Hockenson was entering the final year of his rookie contract and was slated to earn $9.329 million on his fifth-year option.
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"He fits our culture," Vikings general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah said on Thursday. "He's the type of player we want in Minnesota."
Hockenson, 26, caught 60 passes for 519 yards and three touchdowns in 10 games with Minnesota last season after being acquired in a trade deadline deal with Detroit.
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The two-time Pro Bowl selection has registered 246 receptions for 2,587 yards and 18 touchdowns in 57 games (49 starts) since the Lions made him the No 8 pick in the 2019 NFL Draft.
Hockenson had been "holding in" this preseason while working on a long-term extension.
The NFL's other highest-paid tight ends, per Spotrac, are New York Giants' Darren Waller ($17m average annual value), San Francisco's George Kittle ($15m), Kansas City's Travis Kelce ($14.31m), Philadelphia's Dallas Goedert ($14.25m) and Baltimore's Mark Andrews ($14m).
Watch live on Sky Sports as the NFL season gets under way late overnight on Thursday September 7, as the Detroit Lions face the Kansas City Chiefs from 1.10am on Sky Sports Action, followed by multiple games across the weekend and throughout the season.
