The Vikings announced that tight end T.J. Hockenson underwent successful surgery to repair his torn anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) on Monday.
Hockenson tore both his ACL and his MCL after sustaining a low hit from Detroit Lions safety Kerby Joseph during the Vikings’ Week 16 loss.
The Star Tribune’s Ben Goessling reported that the surgery on the ACL was delayed because they wanted the MCL to heal on its own before doing surgery on the ACL.
Hockenson was closing on a 1,000-yard season before the injury. He caught 95 passes for 960 yards and five touchdowns in 15 games in 2023.
He was more than living up to the four-year, $68.5 million contract he had signed before the season, which made him the highest paid tight end in the NFL.
It’s unclear whether Hockenson will be ready for the start of the 2024 season. The average length of recovery for an ACL tear is 8-9 months, putting Hockenson’s timeline for recovery anywhere from late September to late October, but it could be as soon as six months, which would be at the end of July.
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