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T.J. Hockenson is a professional NFL tight end who has achieved recognition through significant contracts and consistent performance in the league.
T.J. Hockenson is listed as having endorsement agreements with Nike.
T.J. Hockenson is listed as having endorsement agreements with Jeep.
T.J. Hockenson is listed as having endorsement agreements with Luft Beds.
A clothing brand that has partnered with T.J. Hockenson, a premier tight end for the Minnesota Vikings, who remains with the brand after securing the highest tight end contract in NFL history in 2023.
T.J. Hockenson is listed as having endorsement agreements with Whistle Sports.
As an NFL Draft prospect, T.J. Hockenson showed a unique affinity for Fitbit in the consumer electronics category compared to other draft picks.
T.J. Hockenson participated in the NFLPA Rookie Premiere, an event unique across professional sports that provides NFL partners like Panini America with access to new NFL players for content creation for seasonal campaigns.
T.J. Hockenson sported 'My Cause My Cleats' in commemoration of the 'Warriors Rising' organization.
Thomas James “T.J.” Hockenson was born on July 3, 1997. He grew up in Cherokee, Iowa, and later moved to Chariton, Iowa, during his teenage years. He attended Chariton High School, where he participated in both football and basketball. In high school football, he played as a tight end and defensive back, establishing school records for receiving yards in a single game, season, and across his career. His performance led his team to the state playoffs in his senior year, during which he also earned all-state first-team honors. Rated as a three-star recruit and the seventh-highest rated recruit in Iowa for the class of 2016, he committed to the Iowa Hawkeyes on June 20, 2015. After redshirting his true freshman year in 2016, Hockenson started his college career in 2017. He played alongside Noah Fant, another tight end, in the Iowa Hawkeyes’ starting lineup. Hockenson recorded his initial career receptions against Iowa State, accumulating two catches for 41 yards. A key performance during his college career was in Iowa’s upset victory over Ohio State, where he achieved five receptions for 71 yards and two touchdowns. He concluded the 2017 season with 24 receptions for 320 yards and three receiving touchdowns.
In 2018, Hockenson was named to the preseason watch list for the John Mackey Award. He set a career high of 125 receiving yards against Wisconsin and surpassed the 100-yard mark again versus Indiana with four receptions for 107 yards and two touchdowns. He finished the season leading the Hawkeyes with 46 receptions for 717 yards and six touchdowns. He was honored as a first-team All-Big Ten Conference tight end by the media and received the Big Ten’s Kwalick–Clark Award for tight end of the year. Hockenson also earned the John Mackey Award, recognizing him as the top tight end in college football for 2018, becoming the second Hawkeye to receive this award after Dallas Clark in 2002, and the first sophomore. On January 14, 2019, he declared for the NFL draft. Hockenson was selected by the Detroit Lions as the eighth overall pick in the first round of the 2019 NFL draft. On May 9, 2019, he signed a four-year, $19.8 million contract with the Lions.
Hockenson made his NFL regular season debut on September 8, 2019, against the Arizona Cardinals, achieving six receptions for 131 yards and one touchdown, setting an NFL rookie record for a tight end’s debut. He later scored another touchdown against the Kansas City Chiefs before being placed on injured reserve on December 2, 2019. He finished his rookie year with 32 receptions for 367 yards and two touchdowns. In 2020, he was named to the 2021 Pro Bowl, concluding the season with 67 receptions for 723 yards and six touchdowns. After undergoing thumb surgery in December 2021, he finished the 2021 season with 61 catches for 583 yards and four touchdowns. In 2022, the Lions exercised his fifth-year option. He also set a Lions franchise record for most receiving yards by a tight end in a single game, gaining 179 yards against the Seattle Seahawks. On November 1, 2022, he was traded to the Minnesota Vikings. He signed a four-year, $63.5 million contract extension with the Vikings on August 31, 2023. Hockenson was placed on injured reserve on December 27, 2023, due to a torn ACL and MCL. He was activated from the reserve/physically unable to perform (PUP) list on October 25, 2024, after sidelining for the first four games of the 2024 season.
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