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Tight end T.J. Hockenson didn't expect to go from worst in the NFC North to first

T.J. Hockenson suspected, once he left Ford Field following the Dolphins' come-from-behind win over the Lions on Sunday, that he might not be returning to the home locker room there.

"I kind of knew. I had a little idea," he said. "I didn't expect here."

That Hockenson was dealt before Tuesday's trade deadline wasn't a big surprise to the 2020 Pro Bowler. That he would land with another NFC North team, in Vikings General Manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah's second significant deal this year with Lions GM Brad Holmes, wasn't on his radar.

But the trade between the Vikings and Lions got the Charlton, Iowa, native closer to home, cutting the drive to his home games "about in half" for his parents, Tod and Teri, who attend every game.