T.J. Hockenson suspected, once he left Ford Field following the Dolphins' come-from-behind win over the Lions on Sunday, that he might not be returning to the home locker room there.
"I kind of knew. I had a little idea," he said. "I didn't expect here."
That Hockenson was dealt before Tuesday's trade deadline wasn't a big surprise to the 2020 Pro Bowler. That he would land with another NFC North team, in Vikings General Manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah's second significant deal this year with Lions GM Brad Holmes, wasn't on his radar.
But the trade between the Vikings and Lions got the Chariton, Iowa, native closer to home, cutting the drive to his home games "about in half" for his parents, Tod and Teri, who attend every game. It sent him from the bottom of the division to the top, as his move from a 1-6 team to a 6-1 club made him the subject of social media fodder Tuesday afternoon.
"I saw the memes," Hockenson said with a smile.
His arrival in Minnesota, as the centerpiece in one of an NFL-record 10 trades on the day of the deadline, could mean more to the Vikings in the second half of a season when they currently have the second-best record in the NFC.
The Vikings were considering a Hockenson trade, among other possibilities, before they knew the severity of tight end Irv Smith Jr.'s high ankle sprain, Adofo-Mensah said. Hockenson, who leads all NFL tight ends with 15.2 yards per catch, could add a distinctive element to quarterback Kirk Cousins' complement of pass-catchers even if Smith is able to return.
"We're excited about what we have and the group that we have, so we try to be really judicious with our opportunities and this just happens to be one of them," Adofo-Mensah said. "[T.J. is] competitive, he fits into our culture and he also gives us a lot of great roster flexibility with his ability to do things in the run and pass game, so I think we're just excited about the opportunity."
The Vikings will try to get Hockenson up to speed on their offense before Sunday's game against the Commanders. He participated in a walk-through Wednesday morning and practice Wednesday afternoon after passing his physical exam.
Coach Kevin O'Connell said in the meantime, the Vikings could try to work Hockenson into some different situations, such as third-down, red-zone or two-minute packages. Quarterback Kirk Cousins' first move was to ask the Vikings' video department to compile clips of what Hockenson, the eighth overall pick in 2019, does at his best.
"You say, 'OK, this is what they're capable of. If they're not doing that, then it's somebody else's fault, if that makes sense," Cousins said. "And so, I want to see them at their absolute best. What's their ceiling? Then, it's my job to access that ceiling as much as possible."
"It's, 'Where are they comfortable? Where are we asking too much of them?'," he added. "You want to do that with a lot of players. You usually get to do that by just practicing with them and observing it. You go to the tape when you don't have the ability to watch the practice."
Even on Wednesday, Hockenson's presence — and the fact the Vikings made the move to get him — seemed to provide a jolt. He'd been a part of only 10 wins in his three and a half seasons with the Lions; he didn't have to contain his exuberance about a change.
"That's really what we're here to do is go somewhere and win some games," he said. "That's kind of the first time I've been able to say that, so I'm pretty excited."
And while O'Connell envisioned how Hockenson could help the Vikings attack defenses that focus on Justin Jefferson, the coach didn't miss the larger significance of the deal.
"It was really fun to make that call [to Hockenson on Tuesday]," he said. "It's the first time for me really making truly a trade like that — I know we traded for Jalen Reagor [on Aug. 31] as well, but the idea of bringing in a player like T.J., a Pro Bowl-caliber player to a team that's 6-1 right now, I think his teammates are really excited to have him here. I know we are as a coaching staff, and now he's ready to hit the ground running."
