Today is the NFL trade deadline and things are starting to heat up around the league. The Detroit Lions have decided to join in on the craziness and trade star tight end TJ Hockenson to their divisional rivals the Minnesota Vikings. Detroit received a second and third-round pick in this trade, while also throwing in two fourth-round picks. This trade means a lot to both teams’ futures, but who won this trade? Let’s break down the positives and negatives for both teams in this trade.
How Does The Hockenson Trade Affect The Lions?
The Lions lose a big piece of their offense in this trade, as Hockenson’s one of the best tight ends in the league. The Lions never really used Hockenson correctly though, because he didn’t fit Ben Johnson’s scheme. The Lions need a tight end who can run block most of the time and still go out and be a safety belt for Goff, but Hockenson’s run blocking has been terrible. PFF has Hockenson as the third worst run-blocking tight end in the NFL that qualifies for one, at a 45.1 grade.
Plus the Lions likely have given up on the season after last week’s loss. The Lions also add a second and third-round pick to help build their future even further in this upcoming draft. Hockenson was going to be asking for top five tight end money when he has been very limited for the Lions due to injuries. Even when he plays, he rarely has a good game because the Lions don’t use tight ends in the receiving game much. It was clear Hockenson was not in Detroit’s future plans, as they did not engage in any contract talks and were not using him much in the offense.
How Does The Hockenson Trade Affect The Vikings?
The Vikings are already one of the best teams in the league, being 6-1 on the year. They have one of the league’s best offenses already and adding one of the league’s best tight ends to that offense after Irv Smith’s injury only makes them even more dominant. Hockenson provides a safety belt target for Kirk Cousins that he hasn’t had since both Adam Theilen and Justin Jefferson are more deep-threat targets. Hockenson also can make explosive plays in the receiving game that no other tight end Cousins has ever had could do.
The Vikings only had to give up a second and third-round pick to get Hockenson and two-fourths. They get to add one of the best receiving tight ends in the league for two early-round picks that will likely be toward the end of those rounds. The Vikings don’t lose much in this trade and they gain a lot, with their offense potentially being one of the best in the league now. They also have the money to resign him for the money he’ll be asking for and can continue to dominate offensively with him.
Who Won The Hockenson Trade?
At first look it seems the Vikings got away with robbery, getting Hockenson and two picks for a second and third-round pick, but that’s not entirely the case. The Lions get good compensation for a player they weren’t planning on keeping around anyway, and the Vikings add a start tight end to their already dominating offense for some early picks. So while the Vikings likely won the trade, the Lions still got good compensation for him, just probably wasn’t a great idea to trade him in the division.
