Assuming he takes another leap this year, T.J. Hockenson is in line for an extension with the Lions next offseason. And the tight end will be looking to to get paid more like a receiver or an offensive tackle.
Hard to blame him.
Hockenson was with fellow tight end and Iowa product George Kittle last offseason when Kittle was negotiating an extension with the 49ers. The same year that WR Amari Cooper got $20 million per year from the Cowboys and OT Laremy Tunsil got $22 million per year from the Texans, Kittle, coming off an All-Pro season, settled for $15 million per year from San Fran.
"With George going through his whole contract and me living down in Nashville and kind of seeing that aspect, it is kind of crazy to think that we get paid less than a tackle and less than a wide-out when we do both," Hockenson said this week on the Pat McAfee Show.
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The NFL's five highest-paid receivers this season make an average of $21.7 million per year, headlined by D'Andre Hopkins at $27.3 million. The five-highest paid offensive tackles make an average of $21.4 million per year, headlined by Trent Williams at $23 million.
Kittle headlines the five highest-paid tight ends, who make an average of $13 million per year.
Hockenson, a Pro Bowler in 2020, says tight ends deserve more. Based on the depth of their duties on the field, he might have a point. Travis Kelce, widely viewed as one of the 10 best players in the NFL, makes 14.3 million per year with the Chiefs.
"They put a lot on us as tight ends to be able to run a route, to be able to block, and then you have to know the whole offense. You have to know motions, you have to know formations, you have to be able to decipher stuff. And with me and a lot of the tight ends in the league, they switch us from Y to F to Z, whatever it is, so we have to know the whole concept as well as the quarterback (knows it)," Hockenson said. "So it’s one of those things where, yeah, they need to start paying us a little better. There’s nothing short of that."
Asked if he's begun thinking about his next business move, Hockenson said, "I’ll be thinking about it here in the next couple of years."
The Lions have Hockenson under contract through 2022 for about $5 million per year, with a fifth-year option for 2023 that they'll almost certainly exercise next offseason. The former eighth overall pick ranked third among tight ends in yards and fourth in receptions last offseason and looks poised for even bigger things in 2021. Whenever negotiations on his next contract begin, suffice to say he won't be looking to settle.
Other highlights from Hockenson's interview on the Pat McAfee Show:
On the transition from Matthew Stafford to Jared Goff: "Staff was my guy. I loved having him as a quarterback. Smart player, probably one of the best football minds that I’ve been around. So when he left the building in January obviously that was tough. But when I got with JG and I threw with JG, I was excited. JG’s been such a good dude in this locker room. He’s played in a Super Bowl, he’s played in those situations and that’s where he wants to get to. That’s where he wants to bring this city. He pushes me every day, he’s talking to me every day. And the way he talks to me is like, 'Hey, that’s a big play for that guy, but not for you. That’s routine. And it’s like, 'Sh*t, alright, I like that. Yeah, you’re right, that is routine.' Rather than putting that pressure on you, he’s like, 'Nah, you do that.' That friendship we have off the field and knowing that that’s my dog and I’ll go to war with him is a cool concept."
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On what he learned at Tight End U that made him better: "I think I learned how to drink a little better. No, I’m kidding. Honestly that was a lot of fun. Those dudes, you’re not around them as much off the field. You know who they are, you know who Zach Ertz is and who Travis Kelce is and who all these dudes are that make plays on Sundays, but you don’t know what they’re like off the field. You don’t know how they operate and how they think. So just being with those guys and understanding why they run a route the way they run this route, or why they see this coverage the way they see, it was really interesting."
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On the culture shift with so many former players on the coaching staff: "There’s been a complete 180 in that sense. A lot of the coaches played in the league, had success in the league and won in this league. So it’s really cool to look at your position coach or your head coach and be like, he knows what it’s like to be in a three-point stance, he knows what it’s like to be in the backfield, he knows what it’s like to break a tackle. They know the grind, they know how to work. And the energy they bring into the building every day, it’s like a player. It's been a lot of fun to learn from those guys, because they’ve been in that position. That’s been the biggest 180 from years past."
On his relationship with Dan Campbell: "That’s my guy. He’s got a lot of energy, he’s always on the field. He’s got a knee sleeve on right now, I think that’s his swag that he’s been rolling with, but you gotta give him a little sh*t with that. But he’s a good dude, he knows his stuff, he’s got us going in the right direction and pushing us every day. It’s been fun."