Former Iowa Hawkeyes Star Ends NFL Season in Grim Fashion

This former Iowa Hawkeyes star did not exactly have a great NFL season with the Minnesota Vikings.

Minnesota Vikings tight end T.J. Hockenson (87) misses an open pass during the first half of the NFL game at Ford Field in Detroit on Sunday, Jan. 5, 2025. / Kimberly P. Mitchell / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Minnesota Vikings tight end T.J. Hockenson has had a rough year.

Last December, Hockenson suffered an absolutely brutal knee injury that sidelined him for the first two months of the 2024 NFL campaign.

He returned in November and ended up playing in 10 games this season, but he did not produce on the level most anticipated.

During his time on the field in 2024, the former Iowa Hawkeyes star caught 41 passes for 455 yards without reaching the end zone, marking the first time in his career that he didn't score a touchdown.

To make matters worse, with the NFC North division title on the line on Sunday night, Hockenson logged just two catches for nine yards on eight targets in a loss to his former Detroit Lions club.

It was a rough end to what was a difficult regular season overall for Hockenson, who is widely conisidered one of the best tight ends in football.

The 27-year-old did log a 100-yard performance earlier in the year, snaring seven balls for 114 yards in a win over the Chicago Bears on Nov. 24.

Since then, however, Hockenson broke the 50-yard mark just twice, and the Week 18 loss to the Lions marked the first time he was held to single-digit receiving yards since October 2022.

Hockenson still has the playoffs to redeem himself, but it's entirely possible that the Iowa product will need an entire offseason of preparation to fully recover.

The Chariton, Ia. native has earned a couple of Pro Bowl appearances since entering the NFL in 2019.