Vikings TE T.J. Hockenson undergoes successful ACL repair surgery

Vikings tight end T.J. Hockenson underwent successful surgery to repair his torn ACL on Monday, the team announced.

"The surgery was led by Dr. Neal ElAttrache from the Kerlan-Jobe Orthopaedic Clinic in Los Angeles, CA," the Vikings said in a statement. "The team will continue to provide updates, as appropriate, during Hockenson’s recovery."

Hockenson suffered the injury on December 24th against the Lions during a hit by safety Kerby Joseph. The surgical procedure was delayed to allow his MCL to heal, which is standard practice. Now he's on the road to recovery.

The timeline will be pretty tight for Hockenson to be ready for Week 1 of the 2024 season, which is seven months and some change away. But even if he's not ready right away, he should at least be back at some point during the early or middle part of the regular season.

Last offseason, Hockenson signed a four-year, $66 million extension that has him under contract through the 2027 season. He turns 27 this summer and is coming off a year in which he set career bests in receptions (95) and receiving yards (960) in 15 games. He also caught five touchdown passes. Hockenson finished second among all tight ends in catches and fourth in yards despite missing two games.

A two-time Pro Bowler, Hockenson was acquired from the Lions in a midseason trade in 2022. He was the eighth overall pick out of Iowa back in 2019.