TJ Hockenson has been in the NFL since 2019 and hasn't been winning much since.
The tight end, drafted in the first round by the Detroit Lions, was traded to the Minnesota Vikings ahead of this season's trade deadline.
During a media session with his new team on Wednesday, Hockenson delivered a line on joining a winning culture in Minnesota that couldn't help but sound like a verbal spar at the Lions ... which is warranted given that they are the Lions.
Detroit sent Hockenson (including a 2023 fourth-round pick and conditional 2024 fourth-round pick) to the Vikings for a 2023 second-round pick and a 2024 third-round draft pick.
Hockenson sounded pretty ecstatic to be out of the Motor City, telling reporters the following on his trade: "That’s really what we’re here to do is go somewhere and win some games. That’s kind of the first time I’ve been able to say that.
DETROIT, MICHIGAN - OCTOBER 30: T.J. Hockenson #88 of the Detroit Lions runs for a first down during the second quarter against the Miami Dolphins at Ford Field on October 30, 2022 in Detroit, Michigan. (Photo by Leon Halip/Getty Images)
"I'm excited to be back in the midwest. They call Michigan the midwest, but this is really the true midwest," Hockenson, who played at the University of Iowa, added.