Allen Park — A day after the Detroit Lions traded tight end T.J. Hockenson to the Minnesota Vikings, general manager Brad Holmes explained the team’s thinking behind moving on from the 25-year-old former Pro Bowler.
“We’re still in the build phase,” Holmes said Wednesday. “So, with the capital that we received back from a compensation standpoint, I just think it made a lot of sense for us to continue on this build.”
Along with Hockenson, the Lions sent the Vikings a pair of fourth-round draft picks — one next year and another in 2024 — with the latter becoming a fifth-rounder if the 6-1 Vikings go on to win a playoff game this year. In exchange, Minnesota sent Detroit two higher draft picks — a second-rounder in 2023 and a third-rounder in 2024.
Holmes said the deal came together quickly. As of last Friday afternoon, he hadn’t made or received any trade interest for Hockenson, nor any of his players for that matter, but conversations rapidly accelerated over the weekend and into Monday, when the deal was consummated. With Hockenson, in particular, it makes sense the Vikings felt a sudden urgency to make a move at the position after losing their starting tight end, Irv Smith Jr., to a serious ankle injury that’s expected to sideline him 8-10 weeks.
It’s the second significant deal the Lions have made with the Vikings in the past several months. The two sides also came together on a draft-day trade, with the Lions moving up 20 spots in the first round to snag wide receiver Jameson Williams. And while there’s an old-school mentality about not making deals within the division, Holmes and rookie counterpart Kwesi Adofo-Mensah in Minnesota clearly don’t subscribe to that way of thinking.
“It made sense for them; it made sense for us,” Holmes said. “Everybody’s got a different case; everybody’s got a different circumstance. People are in different windows.”
The Vikings and Lions couldn’t be in more different circumstances. The Vikings are 6-1, having beaten all three teams in the division and established a commanding 3½-game lead in the NFC North. The Lions, meanwhile, are 1-6 and bringing up the rear of the division.
“I’m excited to be a part of a program that we can do something with and we’re looking beyond 17, looking down the road, for sure,” Hockenson told Minnesota media on Wednesday. “We’ve got to take it week-by-week obviously, too, and win the next one, but there’s no telling where this place can go, and I’m just trying to be a piece of that.
“…That’s really what we’re here to do is go somewhere and win some games,” Hockenson said. “That’s kinda the first time I’ve been able to say that. So I’m pretty excited.”
On the flip side, Holmes didn’t dismiss the idea he would have strongly considered making the deal, even if the Lions’ record were reversed.
“I think that we’ve proven that our offense can score a lot of points,” Holmes said. “I’m sure he was a part of it, but a deal would have made sense — it was not based on record whatsoever. I think it was a good deal for the future of the team, so that’s my job, is I always gotta have a laser focus, not only in the current, but also the future. And that’s what I did, and it just made sense for us.”
With Hockenson gone, the Lions will be tasked with replacing his playing time and production. His 398 offensive snaps were the most for any non-quarterback or offensive lineman on the roster and he had been pacing the team with 395 yards and three receiving touchdowns.
“Well, it’s more of the ball to go around, so to speak,” wide receivers coach Antwaan Randle El said. “There’s opportunities for everybody — whether it’s my guys, the running backs, what have you. But my guys, we can do a little four-wide, five-wide, type of deal. So, it definitely opens it up, things like that, so I gotta be ready and we’ll be cranked up, ready to go.”
Specifically, among the tight ends, Brock Wright figures to see significantly more playing time, like he did when Hockenson was injured at the end of last season.
“I think Brock has done a nice job progressing and becoming a guy that I can rely on,” quarterback Jared Goff said. “He’s a guy that’s really kind of came into his own. He’s playing with some confidence now and can do some good things. He’s developing as a pass catcher. I think back to this time, when we played Green Bay last year, he had a nice touchdown catch and another nice catch in the fourth quarter, over the middle. He’s becoming a threat in the passing game, does a tremendous job in run blocking and has developed as a pass catcher.”
There are also going to be opportunities for rookie James Mitchell and potentially practice-squader Shane Zylstra, as well.
“Mitchell has, every week, gotten a little bit better,” coach Dan Campbell said. “He hasn’t gotten a heavy load, but he’s going to get more on his plate now and we think he’ll be ready that. He works hard, he’s smart, and then there’s a chance we bring Zylstra or we’ll look at (fullback Jason) Cabinda too, see how he practices through the week. So, we have some flexibility here to decide what we’re going to do.”
Regardless of how the Lions backfill the snaps, Campbell doesn’t see the offense changing much schematically without Hockenson.
“I mean, certainly, there will be things that we’ll do that’ll revolve around the other players more than what he was to an extent, but we’re going to still do what we do, if that makes sense,” Campbell said.
With Hockenson, there was universal praise and well wishes for the tight end who spent the past three-and-a-half seasons with the Lions.
“Obviously I’ll miss him,” Goff said. “He’s a tremendous player and a guy that I grew close with. It sucks going through that with a teammate, mostly just (not) seeing him in the building every day and not being able to be around them. But I wish them the best. I know he’ll be successful and do his thing. Happy for him and hope everything works out for him.”
jdrogers@detroitnews.com
Twitter: @Justin_Rogers