Hockenson (lower back) and the Vikings agreed Thursday to a contract extension, Tom Pelissero of NFL Network reports.

EDGE Analysis

The deal reportedly puts Hockenson among the highest-paid tight ends in the league, as one would expect of an eighth overall pick coming off career highs for catches (86) and yards (914). He missed a lot of time this summer with an ear infection and then a lower back injury, but the Vikings seemingly expect Hockenson to be ready for Week 1 against Tampa Bay.

Coach Kevin O'Connell said Wednesday that Hockenson missed practice due to lower back stiffness, Dane Mizutani of the St. Paul Pioneer Press reports.

EDGE Analysis

Hockenson has recovered from the ear infection that hampered him mid-August, but lower back stiffness could now sideline him through Saturday's preseason finale against the Cardinals. The starting tight end still has well over two weeks to recover before Minnesota's regular-season opener against Tampa Bay, but he may have to shake off some rust if he indeed fails to log a preseason appearance.

Hockenson (illness) did more at Tuesday's practice than he did Monday, Alec Lewis of The Athletic reports.

EDGE Analysis

Hockenson has been bothered by an ear infection since the first week of August and seems to be slowly improving. He still has more than two and a half weeks to get ready for a Week 1 matchup with Tampa Bay, though he may conclude the preseason without an appearance.

Hockenson (illness) was limited during Monday's practice, Andrew Krammer of the Minneapolis Star Tribune reports.

EDGE Analysis

Hockenson warmed up and ran through installs before heading inside for treatment. The tight end has been limited due to the ear infection since Aug. 3, and it remains unclear when he'll be back to 100 percent. The Vikings have one remaining preseason game, Saturday against Arizona, and three weeks until they open the regular season against Tampa Bay on Sunday, Sept. 10. Hockenson said last week that he's "starting to get cleared up," so there doesn't appear to be too much concern about his availability, but it's certainly a storyline worth following with Week 1 approaching fast.

Hockenson (illness) said Monday he's dealing with an ear infection and is unsure whether he will participate in joint practices with the Titans this week, Kevin Seifert of ESPN.com reports.

EDGE Analysis

Hockenson participated in Monday's practice, per Seifert, though it was a walkthrough with no contact or pads. Clarity on the starting tight end's illness is helpful, as he can now be projected to resume practicing in full shortly after the infection fades. Hockenson himself said, "I'm starting to get cleared up," per Andrew Krammer of the Minneapolis Star Tribune. It remains to be seen whether he can return to health in time for Saturday's preseason game against Tennessee.

Coach Kevin O'Connell said Monday that Hockenson is battling an illness, Dane Mizutani of the St. Paul Pioneer Press reports.

EDGE Analysis

Hockenson's illness explains his lighter practice activity over the weekend. There's not yet real cause for concern, but the illness could end up ruling the tight end out for Thursday's preseason game against the Seahawks, if it was ever in consideration that he handle a significant amount of snaps. Hockenson still has over a month to get healthy and return to practice ahead of the Vikings' regular-season opener against Tampa Bay on Sept. 10.

Hockenson caught 10 of 11 targets for 129 yards in Sunday's 31-24 wild-card round loss to the Giants.

EDGE Analysis

The Giants were able to limit Justin Jefferson's (7-47-0) big-play ability by shading safety help in his direction, which opened up huge holes in the middle of the field for Hockenson to feast on. It was a bittersweet finish to the 2022 season for the receiving tight end, who produced new highs in receptions (86) and receiving yards (914) across 17 games between the Lions and Vikings. Hockenson thrived following the midseason trade to Minnesota, and he remains under contract next year, putting him in the upper echelon of tight ends heading into 2023.

Hockenson caught his only target for 16 yards during Sunday's 29-13 victory versus Chicago.

EDGE Analysis

Hockenson played just 33 snaps on offense as he and fellow starters were rested in the second half. He'll have a much larger role in this week's home playoff matchup against the Giants.

Head coach Kevin O'Connell intimated Friday that Hockenson and other key starters on offense and defense may not play the entirety of the Vikings' Week 18 game in Chicago, Joe Nelson of SI.com reports. "We've got a pretty clear cut plan with how we want to go about the whole game, but we're going to go in with the expectation of our guys going and try to get off to a good start and play good football," O'Connell said.

EDGE Analysis

Minnesota is assured no worse than the No. 3 seed in the NFC playoffs regardless of how this weekend's games transpire, but since the Vikings will need a win over the Bears plus a Cardinals win over the heavily-favored 49ers to climb to the No. 2 seed, O'Connell may not have much incentive to expose key players to an injury heading into the wild-card round. While Hockenson and all of the Vikings' other starting skill-position players look poised to play at least one series, the uncertainty of whether they'll play much beyond that makes it tough to reliably project any in Week 18 season-long or DFS lineups.

Hockenson caught seven of 12 targets for 59 yards in Sunday's 41-17 loss to the Packers.

EDGE Analysis

The tight end tied K.J. Osborn for the team lead in receptions on a day when the Vikings offense mostly struggled and didn't score its first touchdown until well into the fourth quarter. Hockenson has caught at least three passes in every game since being traded to Minnesota and is just 102 receiving yards short of his first career 1,000-yard campaign, but with the team having nothing to play for in Week 18 except playoff seeding, he may not see a full workload against the Bears.