The Minnesota Vikings have a busy offseason ahead of them, but they have to get cap-compliant first. Per Over The Cap, they are currently $40.156 million over the cap threshold.
That means that restructuring and possibly trading or cutting high-paid veterans. Bleacher Report's Alex Ballentine says the Vikings could trade T.J. Hockenson, who hasn't been the same player since returning from his ACL injury suffered on Christmas Eve of 2023.
T.J. Hockenson is set to have the biggest cap hit ($21.3 million) of any tight end in the league next season. Given that he didn't even crack 500 yards this season, it wouldn't be surprising to see them try to trade him to a team that will utilize him more.
Hockenson has caught 92 passes for 893 yards and three touchdowns in 25 games the past two seasons. That's quite the fall from his 95 catches for 960 yards and five touchdowns in 2023 before getting injured. At the very least, the Vikings will need to restructure Hockenson. He turns 29 in July, and his production the past two seasons hasn't matched his contract.
He still adds an element to the passing game that can take advantage of the short and intermediate areas of the field. That could help either J.J. McCarthy or whoever is Minnesota's quarterback in 2026.
Now, the Vikings have to decide whether that value is worth keeping around or if it's time to move on to a younger, cheaper tight end while freeing up money for other positions.
This article originally appeared on Vikings Wire: Could someone trade for Vikings TE T.J. Hockenson this offseason?