A T.J. Hockenson reunion with the Lions might actually be a really good idea

One of the first big things Detroit Lions GM Brad Holmes did, besides the Matthew Stafford trade, was trade one of the best tight ends in the league to a division rival.

A lot of people thought he was crazy at the time. Now that it's all said and done, it kind of looks bad for the Lions since they got nothing out of the assets they received. But it did save a lot of money in a time when the Lions needed it, and it opened the door for Sam LaPorta.

I called my shot ahead of that trade when I wrote up ahead of the deadline that year that the Lions should trade him. Let's call this me trying to double down on calling my shot.

The Lions should reunite with T.J. Hockenson in 2026

First, we need to cover two things. The first is that Hockenson will probably be cut by the Vikings. He has a $21 million cap hit in 2026, and he is not playing $21 million ball right now. That is actually part of the second thing.

You have to adjust your thoughts on Hockenson ahead of this. The Lions would not be getting the Pro Bowl version of him that they traded away. What they'd be getting is the savvy veteran version.

Why would you want him then? Right now, the Lions don't need a second Pro Bowl tight end; they need depth badly. When LaPorta and Brock Wright went down with injuries, the Lions were playing guys like Anthony Firkser and Giovanni Ricci — players you probably won't see in Detroit again.

What Hockenson can bring at this juncture is a pretty good pass-blocking tight end who has the ability to be another target in the pass game. A target that we already know Jared Goff trusts. In fact, he might have trusted him too much in 2021. It was like a security blanket that year. Having built in trust goes a long way. We saw what that looked like when Josh Reynolds got here. Goff and Reynolds just got right back to work like they never stopped playing with each other.

Then, when LaPorta gets back, the Lions suddenly have the two-tight-end sets that have worked so well for the Ravens with Mark Andrews and Isaiah Likely or the Bears with Colston Loveland and Cole Kmet. The playbook opens up, and there's a new page in there that wasn't there before. If you're Goff, you're putting the ball basically wherever you want.

From a deeper schematic view, with either Wright or Zach Horton back, the Lions can take LaPorta, Hockenson, and a third tight end and get into some of those three-tight-end sets that gained a lot of popularity this season. If you want to know how dangerous those can be, just go back and watch the Rams use it on the Lions all day long. The possibilities are endless.

The Lions wouldn't have to pay Hockenson a pretty penny. His days of securing the bag are over. He'll be 29 at the start of next season. A good deal for Hockenson would be a two-year, $15 million contract. The Lions can make it an incentive-driven deal and protect themselves in the second year, so they have an out after the first if it doesn't work out.

There's just no harm done on this one. It makes a lot of sense and could be a great move for Detroit.

This story was originally published by A to Z Sports on Jan 14, 2026, where it first appeared in the NFL section. Add A to Z Sports as a Preferred Source by clicking here.