Vikings’ TJ Hockenson pushes through with major decision amid devastating injury

The Minnesota Vikings were hampered by injuries throughout the 2023 season. One of the Vikings players to go down was star tight end TJ Hockenson.

Hockenson tore his ACL and MCL in a Week 16 loss to the Detroit Lions. On Monday, the tight end underwent surgery to fix his torn right ACL, via Kevin Siefert of ESPN.

With the Super Bowl not even taking place, Hockenson will have plenty of time to heal up ahead of next season. Coming back from a serious ACL tear, the tight end will have a lengthy road to recovery. But with like many players on their roster, Minnesota is counting on Hockenson to make a full recovery and return to being one of the Vikings’ best receiving threats.

The 2023 season was the first time Hockenson played a full season with the Vikings. Over 15 games, he caught 95 passes for 960 yards and five touchdowns. His receptions and yardage were new career-highs and ranked first and second on the team respectively. Hockenson’s TD catches also tied with Justin Jefferson for second on the team.

Minnesota will have questions at quarterback entering next season. Kirk Cousins – who suffered a season-ending injury of his own – is set to become a free agent. The Vikings do not have a firm QB in place who will be throwing passes to Hockenson and company.

But whoever it is will love having his tight end back in the fold. It’ll take some time for TJ Hockenson to get back up to speed. But once he heals from his ACL injury, Hockenson will be intent to returning to Minnesota and proving he is one of the best tight ends in the NFL.