The Bucs could eye Pro Bowl tight end T.J. Hockenson. Can Tampa Bay land a potent weapon amid defensive focus and contract hurdles?
Defense will be the main focus for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers this offseason, but it wouldn't hurt to add a tight end, either.
Four years ago, the Bucs had Rob Gronkowski, who was still productive in the twilight of his career, ending the 2021 season with 802 yards and 12 touchdowns despite missing five games.
In the four seasons since, Tampa hasn't had a tight end at that level.
The Bucs' top tight end in each season has been Cade Otton, whose career high in receiving yards for a season was 600 in 2024. Otton will be a free agent when the window opens in March, and if the Bucs decide not to re-sign him, there's a former Pro Bowler who would be an intriguing trade target. Bleacher Report's Alex Ballentine is among those who assert T.J. Hockenson of the Minnesota Vikings would make sense for the Bucs.
Hockensen has made it to the Pro Bowl twice, the first time being in 2020, when he was one of the few bright lights for the pre-Dan Campbell Detroit Lions, ending the season with 723 yards and six touchdowns on 67 catches.
The second time he made it was in 2022.
Hockensen started that season with the Lions before being traded to the Vikings seven games into the season.
He ended that year with 914 yards and six touchdowns on 86 catches, helping the Vikings to the playoffs.
Hockensen was equally productive in 2023, ending with 960 yards and five touchdowns on 95 catches. But the past two seasons haven't been as successful. Hockensen tore his ACL toward the end of the 2023 season, which cost him the last two games and a chance to eclipse 1,000 yards. It also cost him the first seven games of the 2024 season, which led to Hockensen ending with 455 yards compared to 900+ in the previous two.
In 2025, Hockensen played in 15 of 17 games, but the Vikings never found stability at quarterback, starting three underwhelming guys at the position.
So the whole passing game suffered, and Hockensen was included in that, posting 438 yards, the lowest since his rookie season (2019).
It's hard to argue Hockensen wouldn't have put up better numbers with Baker Mayfield throwing him the ball in 2025, and it's also hard to argue he wouldn't be an upgrade over Otton.
But there are some roadblocks in trading for Hockensen. For one, the Bucs are prioritizing defense this offseason, which they should, since that unit finished 20th in the league in scoring this past year. So Tampa must be careful not to give up too much for a player on the other side of the ball. The other issue is Hockensen's contract.
Hockensen signed a four-year, $66 million extension in August 2023, so he'll be under contract with the Vikings through the end of the 2027 season if they keep him.
Even with the salary cap reportedly increasing by an estimated $22 million NLF-wide, the Bucs have to ask if they'd be willing to commit that much to a tight end when that is not at the top of their list of needs.
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