An extension could be coming for T.J. Hockenson. According to ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler, the Lions are “expected to prioritize” an extension for the tight end over the next few months.
[RELATED: Extension Candidate: T.J. Hockenson]
The 2019 first-round pick took a bit to get rolling, but he established himself as one of the league’s better tight ends in 2020. Hockenson earned a Pro Bowl nod that season after hauling in 67 receptions for 723 yards and six touchdowns. With Matthew Stafford out of Detroit, the tight end’s numbers didn’t fall off too much in 2021 (61 receptions for 573 yards and four touchdowns in 12 games), and the Lions ultimately picked up Hockenson’s fifth-year option after the season.
Now, the 25-year-old is in line for an extension. The fifth-year option means Hockenson is signed through the 2023 season, but it sounds like Detroit won’t be wasting any time locking in one of their top players.
There’s a good chance Hockenson will exceed a $10MM AAV with his next deal, as 10 tight ends (11 if you include Taysom Hill) currently top that mark. Unfortunately for the Lions and Hockenson, some of the notable tight end negotiations this offseason didn’t lead to extensions. Both Mike Gesicki and Dalton Schultz are set to play the upcoming campaign under the franchise tag, and their hypothetical extensions could have provided some clarity to the Lions and Hockenson during negotiations. The other TE to be tagged this offseason was David Njoku, whom the Browns signed to a new four-year, $54.75MM pact.
The Lions haven’t been shy about inking their top young players, as the front office signed center Frank Ragnow to a record-setting deal last May. We heard recently that many people around the NFL believed Hockenson would be next in line for an extension. There is less urgency due to the option, but Hockenson has expressed a willingness to stay in Detroit long-term, saying “I want to [win] here so bad.”
Anyone who expresses a willingness to stay in Detroit long term is probably overdue for a drug test.
Get him paid Mr Holmes. Not someone to be messing around with. Let’s get him signed for the long haul, the guy is worth the squeeze.
He’d probably have to have a Gronk like career before the Fords would shell out serious bucks to retain him for the long haul.
NFL has a salary cap that the lions usually are close to. This isnt baseball, Sheila Ford is not cheap on team spending. Past GMs just committed money to the wrong players.
The Lions were dead last in payroll spending in 2021 at 76.5MM. They could have extended pro bowlers like Slay and Golladay but were too cheap.
Golladay sucks and the Giants will release him this year.
You’re looking at their active cap space. They also had the highest dead money, since they are in the midst of a rebuild. According to spotrac they were at 196 million last year. Only 1.1 million under the cap.