T.J. Hockenson is ready to reintroduce himself as "one of the top route-running tight ends in the league."

Healthy, again, Hockenson told the Minnesota Star Tribune that he has numerous personal goals and wants to be "the best teammate I can be."

Hockenson started nine of 10 games last season after returning from a major knee injury and making his 2024 debut in Week 9. He enjoyed flashes of his old dominance, including two games with seven-plus catches and one with 114 receiving yards, but he didn't log a touchdown until the Wild Card loss against the Los Angeles Rams.

Needn't call it a comeback – just a return to form.

"I have plenty of goals, and they're to the standard I want them to be," he said to Andrew Krammer.

Hockenson was the focus of Krammer's recent article, which delved into the tight end's ability to create separation, his bond with young Vikings arm J.J. McCarthy, how several of his former quarterbacks have influenced his approach to the 2025 season, and Bears Head Coach Ben Johnson's impact on him.

We will start with the latter, since we are six days away from Monday Night Football in the Windy City.

Johnson, the former Lions offensive coordinator who was poached by Chicago in late January, "will always be super meaningful in my life," Hockenson said, because Johnson helped him find his footing.

When Hockenson, 28, was drafted 8^th overall in 2019, Johnson was an offensive quality control coach for Detroit (he was elevated to tight ends coach in 2020) and explained offenses and defenses to Hockenson.

That knowledge was foundational to the start of Hockenson's career, which saw him catch many passes from Matthew Stafford and Jared Goff, and his continued success, syncing mainly with Kirk Cousins and Sam Darnold, in Minnesota. His conversations with Johnson may benefit his rapport with McCarthy, too.

One lesson Johnson imparted to Hockenson is the player's responsibility to paint a picture on a blank canvas. Within the rules of the play design, Hockenson has control of the brush – and how he gets open.

Krammer noted that this idea has been a key part of Hockenson's conversations with McCarthy. The duo is striving for the type of trust that could permit Hockenson to be more fluid in the progression of a play.

"We want you here at a spot within a certain timing," Hockenson relayed the intent of the Vikings offense, "but on the other hand, J.J. is a playmaker. [Head Coach Kevin] O'Connell wants us to get open."

Krammer explained that in Hockenson's experiences shagging passes from 11 different quarterbacks (McCarthy will be the 12^th), each has had personal quirks. Stafford, for instance, cared most about Hockenson getting open; Goff prioritized timing and wanted Hockenson's releases to be a certain way; and Cousins was all about the spots, as well, but allowed a little more flexibility for his pass-catchers.

McCarthy is "a lot like Staff' " and "a little like Kirk," Hockenson shared. Essentially, the 22-year-old quarterback is trusting Hockenson to be where he's supposed to be, when he's supposed to be there.

While also trusting him to get open.

Check out the rest of Krammer's feature on Hockenson, which highlights pre-training camp repetitions with McCarthy in Nashville, and the tight end looking like a "complete" receiver and blocker, again, here.

'A face of the NFL'

With a subhead like that, this section obviously is about Justin Jefferson.

"Jets", touted by his peers as the No. 9 player in the NFL, was featured Tuesday by The Athletic's Alec Lewis. As a change of pace, Lewis' piece doesn't only discuss what makes Jefferson a dynamic player. It goes behind the tinted face shield to show the extent of the 26-year-old phenom's impact as a person.

For all the right reasons – his magnetism, outgoing personality, genuine behavior, etc. – Jefferson has become an ambassador, an icon at the level reserved for "the LeBrons and (Steph) Currys" of the world.

In speaking with many of Jefferson's former teachers, coaches and childhood friends, Lewis gathered that the All-Pro's sound perspective is a testament to his family's values, and knowing the alternative.

Here's an excerpt from Lewis' story:

As his laundry list of off-field responsibilities continues to grow, he still approaches life the same way he did before he became … what he has become.

One of Jefferson's Destrehan High School teammates shared that the receiver flew to New Orleans to celebrate the engagement of another teammate, Dakota Torbert. The night before the Met Gala, at Jefferson's fitting at a swanky New York City hotel, Jefferson watched as stylist Ron Burton III first revealed his outfit. "He was everything I perceived of him," Burton said. "The energy was infectious. He was so excited, super kind and respectful."

This summer, Jefferson hosted his camp at IMG Academy in Bradenton, Florida, and invited some of the nation's top high schoolers to participate. Former NFL wide receiver Torrey Smith also attended the event. Smith was curious: Was Jefferson playing a front-facing role in the camp? He wanted to know mainly because his oldest son constantly wears Jefferson's jersey.

"I don't take it lightly, my kids wanting to look up to somebody," Smith said. "I know the person means more than the player. I think there are some people who wear masks. All of a sudden, they achieve success, fame and popularity, and the real them comes out. Justin comes off as different because he's real."

For more examples of Jefferson's authentic connections, read Lewis' entire article here.

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