Johnny Hekker arrives in Minnesota: a one-year fix built on longevity, precision, and a familiar reunion
The Vikings agreed to terms with johnny hekker, the team announced Tuesday, adding a veteran punter with a long résumé and a recent full season in Tennessee.
What the Vikings are getting in Johnny Hekker
The signing brings to Minnesota a 36-year-old specialist with four First-Team All-Pro selections and four Pro Bowl nods. In the 2025 season with Tennessee, johnny hekker played in all 17 games and punted 78 times for 3, 653 total yards, averaging 40. 3 net yards per boot. His 2025 line also included seven touchbacks and 22 punts landed inside the 20-yard line.
Across 14 NFL seasons, Hekker has punted 1, 041 times in 229 regular-season games. His career net average stands at 42. 7 yards per punt, with a touchback percentage listed at 5. 6 and 38. 5% of punts placed inside the 20.
Why Minnesota moved now—and what changed at punter
Minnesota’s decision comes after former Vikings punter Ryan Wright joined the Saints. The Vikings’ special teams core now includes 2025 First-Team All-Pro kicker Will Reichard, entering his third season in Purple, and three-time Pro Bowl long snapper Andrew DePaola, returning for his seventh campaign with the Vikings and having been named First-Team or Second-Team All-Pro in each of the past four seasons.
The Vikings also get a player with a track record of durability: over 14 NFL seasons, Hekker has never missed a game.
The reunion factor and the skill set that stands out
Hekker will reunite with Vikings Special Teams Coordinator Matt Daniels. Daniels teamed with Hekker in 2012 and 2013 and later coached him from 2018 to 2019 when Daniels returned to the Rams as an assistant special teams coach.
Beyond standard punting metrics, Hekker is known around the league for executing fake punts and for a trick kick described as the “banana punt, ” adapted from Australian rules football. The technique involves turning the ball sideways on the drop, allowing it to curve right after initially appearing to go left.
A native of Redmond, Washington, Hekker attended Oregon State from 2008 to 2011. He set a single-game school record in 2011 with a 52. 5-yard average on six punts, and a 2010 punt of 74 yards against USC is cited among his most memorable college kicks. Off the field, he has volunteered for and supported Special Olympics programming for 20 years.
