Lions head coach Dan Campbell pitched the team’s decision to trade tight end T.J. Hockenson to the Vikings as an increased opportunity for other players to make their mark, but another reaction would be to say that the Lions are prioritizing the future over what’s left of their 2022 schedule.
Quarterback Jared Goff said on Wednesday that Hockenson is a “tremendous player” and that he trusted the team’s decisions were made in the “best interests” of the team before he was asked if he felt the trade was waving a white flag for this year. Goff replied that “it’s not my decision” and went on to talk about the difficulty of saying farewell to a teammate.
“It sucks going through that as a teammate, mostly just seeing him in the building every day, not being able to be around him,” Goff said, via Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press. “But yeah, I wish him the best and I know he’ll be successful in doing his thing. Happy for him and hope everything works out for him.”
If all works out for Hockenson, he’ll be in Minnesota for a long run and the Lions will be tasked with trying to beat him twice a season. This offseason should bring plenty of discussion about how long the Lions believe it is in their best interests to have Goff leading the offense in that task.