Developing Hendon Hooker might turn out to be a short-term project for the Detroit Lions. The Lions used a third-round pick on the promising quarterback last year, fully aware that his rookie season would be sidelined due to a torn ACL. However, during that time, Jared Goff solidified himself as both the current and future quarterback, securing a significant contract extension and narrowing the opportunity for Hooker to take the field in the near future.
According to Bleacher Report’s Matt Holder, the Lions could capitalize on this situation by trading Hooker during the offseason to maximize their return, rather than keeping him on the bench behind Goff for potentially the next three years.
“The Detroit Lions extended Jared Goff’s contract this offseason, effectively relegating Hooker to a backup role for the duration of his rookie contract,” Holder wrote. “Trading last year’s third-round pick to a team in need of a quarterback sooner rather than later would enable the front office to maximize its return on him.”
“Hendon Hooker’s Stock Could Be High
Holder isn’t the only analyst who thinks the Lions might trade Hooker. Colton Pouncy from The Athletic also agreed that the Lions might move on from the former Tennessee quarterback because he’s firmly stuck behind Goff with no chance of moving into a starting role, but he suggested a different timeline.
“The Lions drafted him to be a high-upside backup with starting potential if needed, but now that he’s blocked by Goff for the foreseeable future, could trading him down the road be the best way to maximize his value?” Pouncy wrote. “It’s an interesting discussion. Probably not one for the 2024 season, but maybe later in his rookie contract.”
Hooker’s potential is highly regarded. Randy Mueller, a former NFL general manager, highlighted in The Athletic in October 2023 that the Lions were not alone in rating Hooker highly during his college years.
“Last year during my draft preparation, I evaluated a quarterback whom I believed could potentially start in the NFL,” Mueller wrote. “Hendon Hooker from the University of Tennessee impressed me with his arm talent, athletic ability, ability to read defenses, and accuracy suitable for the NFL. His timing and anticipation were sufficient for me to rank him among the top five quarterbacks for the 2023 NFL Draft.”
Although Hooker spent most of the 2023 season on the reserve list, he returned to the active roster towards the end of the season and served as an emergency quarterback.
Second-year quarterback Hendon Hooker is navigating through some timing challenges in early team practices, as observed by John Maakaron of SI.com’s All Lions. Despite these hurdles, Hooker has demonstrated consistent improvement. Quarterbacks coach Mark Brunell commended Hooker’s dedication and highlighted his progress in refining both physical skills and mental acuity required for the position.
Mark Brunell, speaking to SI.com, highlighted Hendon Hooker’s progress across the board: “It’s in every area. I don’t know if I can pinpoint one area where we’ve seen the most growth. I think just his presence in the huddle has improved significantly. His understanding of our concepts and the intent of the plays that are being called by coach Johnson and what we’re trying to accomplish out there.
“He just has a much better feel at this time than he did a year ago of course and that comes with just getting reps. He’s actually able to go out there and play some football. With that, he’s made a lot of mistakes, he’s done a lot of good things, but we have seen some growth in such a short amount of time.”