In 2020, Taylor Swift released a song called Champagne Problems on her album Evermore. Here’s a passage:
“You had a speech, you’re speechless
Love slipped beyond your reaches
And I couldn’t give a reason
Champagne problems”
One guy who also just gave a speech – but wasn’t speechless at all – is Vikings general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah.
Vikings GM Revives the Term “Champagne Problems”
In that speech to the media ahead of the draft, the Mastermind was asked about the problematic number of tight ends on his roster. Folks who look at the crew he has assembled for the upcoming season shockingly find only two tight ends: T.J. Hockenson and Josh Oliver. The third tight end spot is a Blank Space at this point.
His response? Well, he doesn’t think that’s a real problem, but more of a Champagne Problem, a phrase he used earlier in his tenure with the Vikings when he was asked if retaining Justin Jefferson would be a challenge.
Here’s this week’s quote when asked about the need for a tight end.
Roster-spot-wise, that’s probably an easy place to look and see that the Vikings would want to add something, but I don’t love the word ‘need.’ I want to be positively focused. It’s want. We want certain types of players on our team.
When you start that question with T.J. [Hockenson] and Josh [Oliver], you say the word need, I feel a little bit champagne problemish, in terms of the phrase of the word need. I think those are two dynamic players at their positions, the ability to give us a lot of great skill sets, and we’re excited about [adding] somebody else in that room, however that comes. The draft is just one of the avenues we have, but from a numbers standpoint, that is a position we will address.
Indeed, there surely are worse tight end duos in the NFL. The Vikings told Hockenson You Belong With Me during the 2022 season, acquiring him from the rival Lions for draft capital and subsequently paying him a ton of money in the following offseason. Oliver, meanwhile, arrived in that 2023 offseason and received a significant three-year deal worth $21 million.
Both are excellent at what they do, becoming obvious as Adofo-Mensah described them sounding more like he was quoting Swift’s song Wildest Dreams (Taylor’s Version) (“he’s so tall and handsome as hell”) than Champagne Problems.
Hockenson is one of the more dynamic tight ends in football. He has had some signature games in his Vikings career. In the Joshua Dobbs-led offense against the Saints, when the Vikes needed someone to make plays due to Justin Jefferson’s absence, he dominated.
Another big game came in the playoffs against the Giants in January of 2023 when the defense solely focused on taking away Jefferson. Hock had ten catches for 129 yards. Taking advantage of the Jefferson-created defensive holes is why the Vikings made the move to bring him to the Twin Cities. He also scored Minnesota’s lone touchdown in this year’s playoff game against the Rams.
His knee injury slowed him down in 2024, but he should be back at full strength entering the 2025 campaign. So far, in 35 regular-season games with the Vikings, Hockenson has accumulated 196 catches for 1,934 yards and eight scores.
Wingman Oliver is a force as a run-blocker. Last season, he earned a league-best 73.0 PFF run blocking grade among tight ends. He finished the previous year with an even slightly better grade. In the passing game, there’s still some room to grow with only 471 yards through two seasons, but he complements Hockenson well.
Backup Johnny Mundt departed for the Jaguars, and longtime practice squad guy Nick Muse drove the Getaway Car to Philadelphia during last season’s playoffs, where he won a Super Bowl (although he didn’t play in that game).
The duo of Hockenson and Oliver is pretty much set in stone, but depth is still needed, and it should be expected that the club will add between two and four tight ends before training camp, and the draft could be a way to find one.
PurplePTSD’s Brevan Bane recently suggested the selection of Bowling Green’s Harold Fannin Jr. in the third round, “The Vikings have a need for a TE3, which could eventually lead to a need for a TE2 after the expiration of Josh Oliver’s contract. And, well, Harold Fannin Jr. is exciting. He’s about as legitimate of a receiving tight end as any in the last couple of drafts, and he is completely flying under the radar because he is a bit undersized and he played for Bowling Green.”
In this draft, some immediate game-changers can be found early, but the Vikings will most likely look at other positions in the first round. Fannin Jr. might be available at 97, and even on day three, the Vikings can surely find a capable TE3. If they can’t, there are a handful of veteran options available on the free-agency market.
It’s pretty much obvious for anyone who can count to two that more bodies are needed in that room, and Adofo-Mensah confirmed that he will do just that.
But it’s not the time to sound the panic button. If Swift only had a song in her discography called You Need to Calm Down. Well, looks like she does.
