Minnesota Vikings tight end T.J. Hockenson has logged just 893 receiving yards and 3 touchdowns in the last two seasons despite being paid as one of the NFL’s most expensive players at his position. Hockenson took a paycut to remain in Minnesota this offseason, and now ESPN claims it’s a make-or-break campaign for the 28-year-old.

The man should benefit from the arrival of Kyler Murray, as will the offense as a whole.

Vikings TE Decision Now Has a Clock

Bill Barnwell: Make-or-Break in 2026 for Hockenson

On a positive note, Barnwell actually ranked the Vikings’ RBs, WRs, and TEs as the NFL’s eighth-best before he delivered the Hockenson opinion.

He wrote, “Both Jefferson and Addison saw their catch rates drop to career lows last season, which I feel comfortable chalking up to subpar quarterback play. T.J. Hockenson, though, recorded the best catch rate of his career, in part because he was catching bunches of short checkdowns.”

“The tight end hasn’t been the same player since his 2023 ACL tear, and the Vikings could really use his ability to create after the catch and up the seam to help new QB Kyler Murray this season. This is a make-or-break year for Hockenson, who will be a free agent after the campaign.”

Hockenson has been the object of some fans’ scorn over the last two seasons, mainly because of his diminished production compared to his meaty paycheck.

The Injury That Pumped the Breaks

In 2023, late in the season, Hockenson was tackled low by Detroit Lions safety Kerby Joseph, a defender with a modus operandi of targeting ACLs. Hockenson indeed tore his ACL, ending his season and setting into motion a long recovery. Vikings fans despise Joseph to this day for his deed.

Since then, Hockenson has never posted his production from 2022 or 2023.

Hockenson’s 2025 season statistics — 51 catches, 438 yards, and three touchdowns — might appear underwhelming at first glance, suggesting a decline in performance. However, a deeper look beyond the box score reveals a different narrative.

A significant factor was the instability of the Vikings’ offensive line. Head coach Kevin O’Connell himself acknowledged that Hockenson was tasked with an unusually high volume of blocking assignments, often to compensate for protection deficiencies. It greatly limited his opportunities to contribute as a pass-catcher, making it difficult to achieve the Pro Bowl-caliber receiving numbers he’s known for when he was primarily functioning as an emergency blocker.

Too, the team’s quarterback situation was in constant flux, with J.J. McCarthy, Carson Wentz, and Max Brosmer all seeing action. The lack of continuity at quarterback prevented the passing game from establishing any consistent rhythm, forcing Hockenson to operate within a perpetually shifting offensive scheme.

Therefore, Hockenson’s 2025 performance was not a sign of diminished skill, but rather a reflection of the extraordinary circumstances in which he was asked to help stabilize a struggling offense.

As he turns 29, a rebound is in reach. He retains his top-tier route-running ability and remains a large, reliable target.

A Bounceback if Murray Follows the Trey McBride Blueprint

And that bounceback is within reach, mainly because of the evidence down in the desert.

McBride became one of the NFL’s best tight ends over the last couple of seasons, and guess who threw him the ball? Murray. McBride and Murray proved they could feast on a lousy team; there’s a blueprint suggesting Murray would pick up where he left off in Arizona. In fact, Murray could be perfect for Hockenson.

That’s in addition to Murray already having Justin Jefferson, Jordan Addison, and Jauan Jennings at his disposal. The 2022 or 2023 form of Hockenson would shove Minnesota’s offense to new heights, if one assumes that Murray takes off with the Vikings.

Free Agency in Eight Months if Not

The Vikings already built the escape hatch. Hockenson’s offseason pay cut a few months ago not only adjusted his salary but also moved his free agency to 2027, effectively making 2026 a “prove-it” year. While this might seem harsh, it’s a strategic move for smart teams dealing with expensive veterans coming off average seasons.

If Hockenson returns to his 2022 and 2023 form, the decision is straightforward: extend him. Keeping one of the NFL’s better tight ends in O’Connell’s offense would be a no-brainer. That version of Hockenson remains incredibly valuable.

Should 2026 resemble 2025, the Vikings have the option to let him enter the market and find his replacement through free agency or the 2027 NFL Draft.

Therefore, Barnwell is right: it’s make-or-break for Hockenson.

Dustin Baker is a novelist and political scientist. His second novel, The Invaders , is out now. So is … More about Dustin Baker

Anthony Joshua could be presented with a world title shot in 2027, but first he must take care of Tyson Fury later this year.

The two British heavyweights are expected to collide in November, yet we are still awaiting the announcement of a specific date, location and promoter.

What we do know, however, is that Fury and ‘AJ’ will enter respective warm-up fights against Mariusz Wach and Kristian Prenga on the same weekend.

The first of which will take place at the Max Muay Thai Stadium in Pattaya, Thailand, on July 24, with 46-year-old veteran Wach having been selected as a low-risk opponent.

It would also seem that there are no plans to broadcast this fight, but rather for it to be treated as an exclusive event for the 2,000 fans in attendance.

Joshua, meanwhile, has equally been matched with a low-risk opponent, only it could be argued that even Kristian Prenga poses a greater threat than Wach.

Regardless, the 36-year-old is heavily favoured to come through his contest in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, on July 25, before entering a long-awaited showdown with Fury.

If he defeats ‘The Gypsy King’, Joshua is then likely to pursue three-time world championship glory, potentially against newly-crowned WBC ruler Agit Kabayel.

Speaking with Sky Sports, the German insisted that he will be waiting for either Joshua or Fury, having previously sparred both heavyweights on numerous occasions.

“Tyson Fury, Anthony Joshua, when you think you have a chance to be a three-time world champion, let’s do it. Kabayel will wait for you.

“We can make the fight but first of all I think all the fans, the British fans, want to see the Anthony Joshua versus Tyson Fury fight and, after that, we can see who’s best for the fight with me.

“First of all AJ [for Fury] and after, why not? This is a big fight. We can make this also in Germany in a stadium. We can make this in the UK in a stadium.”

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Kabayel was elevated from ‘interim’ to full WBC champion following Oleksandr Usyk’s decision to vacate his three belts and, in turn, avoid any mandatory duties.

Former Germany and USMNT star Jermaine Jones has called for consistency after Lionel Messi was not sent off for a similar foul by Folarin Balogun at the FIFA World Cup. He believes that the officials need to know the difference between an intentional foul and an accidental one.

Speaking on ESPN, Jones said that it was never a red card for Balogun as it was an accidental touch. He added that everything will look bad when it is seen in slo-mo and said:

“No, definitely now. When you look at the game straight away, and I say that for me, not a red card, because he’s not looking even. So if the ball is in front of you and you go through and you pull through and you hit the guy over the ankle most of the time, then it’s a clear red card. But for that, like he’s trying to step and find a way to step back out of that collision with the Bosnian player, and he steps with his right foot on the guy.”

“Yes, if you slow it down, if you go to review and you look at the pictures, everything looks worse. But then, yeah, but the next point is: if you give a red card here, the consistency – why isn’t Messi getting the red card? So, and that’s just something.”

Jones spoke about how Balogun will now miss the key Round of 16 match, and that could cost the USMNT. He said:

“Now we can look at it and go and say, he’s missing this game. No, he’s an important player. He scored three goals for this country, and he would be missed now for the next game. And that’s something that is not good, even on FIFA’s side, because you have to find consistency in the calls you do and not hurt some people or some teams, and some teams not. So, if I was Pochettino, I would go hard on that, and I would be saying something because. Now you’re in the next round, and you’re missing one of your top players.”

Balogun scored the opening goal of the match for the USMNT, before getting sent off in the second half. However, Pochettino’s men kept their calm and Malik Tillman added another to seal a 2-0 win in the FIFA World Cup clash.

What next for Lionel Messi at the FIFA World Cup?

Lionel Messi will be in action against Cape Verde this week in the FIFA World Cup Round of 32. He has been in fine form this summer, scoring six goals in just three matches so far.

Argentina topped their group by beating Jordan, Algeria and Austria, and Lionel Messi managed to score at least once in all games.