What is T. J. Hockenson's Net Worth and Salary?

T. J. Hockenson is a professional football tight end who who has a net worth of $30 million. T.J. Hockenson plays for the NFL's Minnesota Vikings. Previously, from 2019 to 2022, he played for the Detroit Lions. In college, Hockenson played for the Iowa Hawkeyes and won multiple awards in 2018 as the nation's top tight end of the year in college football.

Contracts & Salary

In his first six seasons in the NFL, T.J. earned $40 million in salary alone. In September 2023 he signed a contract with the Vikings that made him the highest-paid tight end of all time. The four-year extension will pay Hockenson at least $66 million and up to $68.5 million. Hockenson will earn $42.5 million guaranteed, and his contract will have an average annual value of $17.125 million. Both are NFL records for tight ends.

Early Life and High School

Thomas James Hockenson was born on July 3, 1997 in Des Moines, Iowa and was raised in Cherokee. As a teenager, he moved with his family to Chariton, where he attended Chariton High School. Hockenson played both football and basketball in high school, and was a four-year letter winner as a tight end and defensive back. He also set school records for receiving yards in a game, season, and career. As a senior, Hockenson led his team to the state playoffs.

Collegiate Career

In mid-2015, Hockenson committed to playing college football for the University of Iowa Hawkeyes. After redshirting as a true freshman in 2016, he recorded 24 receptions for 320 yards and three receiving touchdowns in the 2017 season. Hockenson finished his collegiate career on a high note in 2018. That season, he recorded 46 receptions for 717 yards and six receiving touchdowns, and earned the Kwalick-Clark Award, Ozzie Newsome Award, and John Mackey Award as the top tight end of the year in college football. Hockenson subsequently left Iowa early to declare for the 2019 NFL Draft.

Detroit Lions

In the 2019 NFL Draft, Hockenson was chosen by the Detroit Lions in the first round with the eighth overall pick. He went on to sign a four-year contract with the team. Hockenson made an auspicious NFL debut in September when he recorded 131 receiving yards, the most ever for a tight end in their debut. He finished the season with 32 receptions for 367 yards and two touchdowns in 12 games. In 2020, Hockenson played in 16 games and recorded a career-high 67 receptions for 723 yards and six touchdowns. That year, he was named to his first Pro Bowl.

In the 2021 season, Hockenson recorded 61 receptions for 583 yards and four touchdowns in 12 games. The next year, the Lions picked up the fifth-year option on his contract. Hockenson had a strong start to the 2022 season; in a Week 4 game against the Seattle Seahawks, he set the all-time Lions record for receiving yards by a tight end in a single game, with 179. He ultimately played in seven games for the Lions that season before being traded on the first of November.

(Photo by Michael Owens/Getty Images)

Minnesota Vikings

Hockenson was traded to the Minnesota Vikings in November 2022. In his ten games for the team that season, he posted 60 receptions for 519 yards and three touchdowns. He also earned his second Pro Bowl selection. Hockenson went on to sign a four-year contract extension with the Vikings in the summer of 2023.

Personal Life

In early 2023, Hockenson got engaged to Nashville, Tennessee-based photographer Mikala Brown. He proposed to her at her mother's farm.

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