Vikings make tight end T.J. Hockenson their Courage Award recipient

Vikings players voted tight end T.J. Hockenson this year’s Ed Block Courage Award recipient.

Hockenson returned in the middle of this season after a nine-month rehab to heal two torn ligaments in his right knee. He’s grateful to be healthy this January and in the playoff chase for the second time with the Vikings after being in what he previously called a “dark place” that led to some introspection.

The Ed Block Courage Award Foundation honors players “who exemplify commitments to the principles of sportsmanship and courage.” An annual offseason event to celebrate the league winners is typically held in Baltimore.

“Having my teammates and everybody here vote for me with that award is an honor,” Hockenson said Friday, “and obviously they were there every step of the way and saw what it takes to go through that. It means a lot. A really, really cool award. We’ll go out to Baltimore, me and my wife [Mikala], and do that whole experience, so that’ll be a lot of fun.”

Hockenson has returned to a full-time yet modest role in the Vikings offense. He has 41 catches for 455 yards through 10 games but has yet to catch a touchdown pass. He’s also coming off his third straight loss to his former team, the Lions, and two catches for 9 yards — his fewest since joining the Vikings.

“This league is a humbling experience,” Hockenson said.

Hockenson said he could discuss altering routes with quarterback Sam Darnold, but they’re also trying to simply forget about it.

“That kind of stuff happens,” he said. “It’s a quick game. There’s a lot going on. You can shave your routes different ways, you can do different stuff like that, but I think it’s just go out there and play, keep playing. You can’t really think about stuff like that. You gotta just move on. The more you think about it sometimes the worse it is, you know? You kind of overanalyze and overdo that kind of stuff. You just gotta move on, get back to what we’ve been doing all year, and just move the ball.”

An illness is affecting at least a couple of Vikings players at team headquarters in Eagan. Running back Ty Chandler was held out of Friday’s practice because he’s sick, and rookie quarterback J.J. McCarthy, who remains around the facility attending meetings while on injured reserve, was sent home because he wasn’t feeling well. A team spokesperson said McCarthy is expected to return Saturday.

Edge rusher Pat Jones II still hasn’t practiced because of a right knee injury, but he was spotted working with the team’s training staff off to the side of practice. Running back Aaron Jones remains limited by the quadriceps injury that has bothered him for two weeks.

The Vikings were among four NFL teams, including both Los Angeles teams and their playoff opponents, to pledge donations to support relief efforts in communities affected by ongoing wildfires in L.A.

Vikings ownership pledged a $1 million donation, matching the other teams, including the Houston Texans, the Chargers’ opponent this weekend.

The NFL also pledged a $1 million donation Friday.

The Vikings ranked last in punt return production this season as returner Brandon Powell averaged a league-low and career-low 7.1 yards per attempt. Powell’s longest return went just 15 yards. Punt returns have also often resulted in negative plays for the Vikings. Eight penalties on punt returns comprise half of the 16 flags the Vikings have had accepted against them on special teams this season.

“Sometimes maybe there’s an instance where he’s catching it where he maybe should be fair-catching it,” special teams coordinator Matt Daniels said. “And you can get kind of antsy back there. … It’s a blend of a lot of things that go into it. Obviously, penalties can become a factor.”