TJ Hockenson
Getty
TJ Hockenson could be a key go-to player for J.J. McCarthy this year.
The Minnesota Vikings are buried underneath $43.2 million in salary cap debt for the 2026 season, which they must clear within a matter of weeks, and that means the team will soon issue farewells to some expensive players.
Some of the choices are easier than others. For instance, the Vikings inked defensive tackle Javon Hargrave last offseason to a two-year, $30 million deal structured in a way that Minnesota could cut him with relative ease if it didn’t work out. The experiment failed, and moving on from Hargrave saves $11 million and cuts the current deficit by more than 25 percent.
A player such as two-time Pro Bowl tight end TJ Hockenson isn’t such a simple goodbye, however. His production is unquestionably down, though part of that is due to the coaching staff asking Hockenson to stay in and block more frequently than ever before due to offensive line injuries and inconsistencies.
As of now, the Vikings’ best option under center remains JJ McCarthy, who has started all of 10 games in his two-year NFL career and remains loathe to throw the football across the middle for fear of interceptions.
Hockenson is the surest target in McCarthy’s biggest problem area on the field, so moving on from Hockenson without a strong option to replace him is premature and potentially dangerous.
That said, Hockenson can’t eat up $21.4 million on the salary cap either, after putting up 51 catches for 438 yards and three TDs last season.
“At the very least, I’d expect [Minnesota] to require Hockenson to restructure his deal if he wants to stick around,” Bleacher Report’s Brad Gagnon wrote Saturday, February 21. “But because they’d be taking a weapon away while fancying themselves a contender, an outright release would surprise the football world.”
Vikings Can Save Almost as Much by Cutting Aaron Jones as by Releasing TJ Hockenson
Aaron Jones, Minnesota Vikings
GettyRunning back Aaron Jones of the Minnesota Vikings.
Minnesota would save $9 million in 2026 by cutting Hockenson, which would get them about halfway to even on the cap coupled alongside a Hargrave release. But there might be better ways to go about it.
Running back Aaron Jones is unlikely to remain a feature of the offense if he stays on the team in 2026, as Jordan Mason assumed the role of primary rusher last season, while Jones battled injury concerns throughout the campaign. Jones will play next season at 32 years old and offers $7.75 million in cap savings via a release.
“Aaron Jones’ cap number ranks as the fourth largest among all running backs for 2026,” Alec Lewis of The Athletic wrote in December. “If the Vikings were to keep him and Mason, they’d be spending close to $20 million on their running backs room next season.”
Vikings’ Approach to Draft May Determine TJ Hockenson’s Future
T.J. Hockenson, Vikings
GettyTight end TJ Hockenson of the Minnesota Vikings.
Lewis added that the Vikings may view Hockenson as a reasonable cut candidate.
“Minnesota’s cap situation will, at minimum, require a reworking of Hockenson’s figure,” Lewis wrote.
How the Vikings decide to approach the draft in April will inform its decisions over the coming weeks, ahead of the start of the new league year on March 11.
Minnesota owns the Nos. 18, 49, 82 and 97 picks in the first three rounds and is in the market for help at safety, cornerback, center and running back, among other areas.