Before a torn ACL late in his final college season while playing for Tennessee, Hendon Hooker was in the Heisman Trophy conversation and potentially in line to be a high draft pick. But the Detroit Lions took him in the third round (No. 68 overall) in the 2023 draft, knowing he was coming off a major injury, had a lot of development to do and was an older prospect.
Fast forward to now. Hooker is halfway through his rookie contract, and he’s 27 years old with nine regular season pass attempts (33 regular season snaps) on his resume. He got some garbage time run in three games this season, then he was usurped by late signee Teddy Bridgewater as Jared Goff’s backup for the Divisional Round game against the Washington Commanders. And Goff is under contract through 2028 via the lucrative extension he signed last offseason.
The Lions, through actions as much as words (they were reported to have interest in Daniel Jones during the season), have made it pretty clear they don’t see Hooker as their best backup quarterback option looking toward next season. If he’s not a virtual lock to be No. 2 on the depth chart, there’s not much point in having him on the roster. The time to seriously question using a top-75 overall pick on him looks to be now.
Knowing his situation in Detroit , Hooker may welcome a change of scenery. ESPN’s Bill Barnwell seems to think he’s a viable cut candidate for the Lions this offseason, but that idea misses the broader point of Hooker as a potential trade asset.
There are teams out there who liked Hooker going into the 2023 draft, with a report back then that some teams had him as third-best quarterback prospect in that class. To some degree, that should be the starting point for teams who could trade for him now.
In any case, the Lions should be open to trade offers for Hooker and general manager Brad Holmes might even try to initiate those conversations. It’s not about getting a big return, since a conditional Day 3 draft pick feels like what it’ll be, it’s about moving Hooker along to the prospect of a better situation and getting something for him.
These five teams might be in the mix, or desperate enough?, to take a gamble on Hooker in a trade.
5 teams who could make the Lions a trade offer for Hendon Hooker
5. Tennessee Titans
Hooker’s draft classmate Will Levis has already shown he’s probably not the answer under center for the Titans, and with the No. 1 overall pick in April’s draft they don’t seem married to taking a quarterback (as they shouldn’t necessarily be, truly).
The Titans could attack the quarterback position in a number of ways this offseason, up to and including clearing the way to give Levis one more shot as the starter next season. Adding Hooker to the mix wouldn’t be out of the question regardless, especially with the risk of giving up a conditional Day 3 pick being next to nil.
