Former Tennessee quarterback Hendon Hooker finds himself in an increasingly tricky situation after the latest piece of major news came out of Detroit on Monday night.
According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, the Lions signed quarterback Jared Goff to a four-year, $212 million contract extension with $170 million guaranteed to become the highest-paid Lions player ever.
The 29-year-old quarterback led Detroit to their first NFC North title in 30 years en route to the NFC Championship game last season while the 26-year-old Hooker made his debut on the active list near the end of his rookie season.
Goff’s new deal would keep him in Detroit until his 33rd birthday at the minimum, showing the commitment the Lions have to their signal caller. But Hooker isn’t getting any younger and is now in a tricky position following the Lions’ continued commitment to Goff.
Hooker began the 2023 season on the reserve/non-football injury list but was put on the active roster on December 19. The Lions had veteran quarterback Teddy Bridgewater as Goff’s backup in 2023 but with his departure in the offseason, Hooker does look to be in line for the backup position in 2024, along with eight-year career reserve Nate Sudfeld.
"You can see when he throws the ball why we acquired him."
Dan Campbell on Hendon Hooker returning to practice pic.twitter.com/X3VftPjnNf
— Detroit Lions (@Lions) December 1, 2023
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If the Lions do hang on to Hooker through his rookie contract, he will be with Detroit for three more seasons as a player nearing his 30th birthday. That’s a tough path to playing time considering Detroit’s new commitment to Goff.
While Detroit has spoken highly of Hooker during his recovery in his rookie year, the best bet for the former Tennessee quarterback is to get traded. While that won’t guarantee any playing time either, it’s a better bet depending on the location than sitting behind a legitimate quarterback still in his 20s with a championship-caliber team.
Is there a way for Hooker to see the field in Detroit? Yes. The first option is an injury to Goff, which no one is pulling for. While Goff has had rough playing stretches during his career, he seems to have found the recipe to success under Dan Campbell’s leadership. Goff isn’t going to be an MVP contender but is plenty good enough to continue leading the Lions in the star-quarterback-deficient NFC.
During his time at Tennessee, Hendon Hooker was a prolific quarterback that was on track for a potential Heisman award before an ACL tear ended his season in the penultimate game. Hooker was looked at as a new-school, modern NFL quarterback prospect but has since been limited to a backup role behind a young(ish) quarterback with a big new contract.
Jared Goff’s new contract puts VFL Hendon Hooker in a tricky position going forward. It’s likely that Detroit will want to keep Hooker as the backup, but it may severely limit his playing time as the 26-year-old looks for a path to the field.
