The Detroit Lions knew quarterback Hendon Hooker wouldn’t be able to show the team much in his rookie season, drafting the former Tennessee quarterback after he had suffered a torn ACL and had months of rehab left to go.
But in the two years since joining the Lions, the once promising young quarterback has struggled to make an impact and saw his backup job taken away late last season when the team coaxed Teddy Bridgewater out of retirement.
One insider believes that Hooker now has a lot to prove this offseason, facing new competition for the No. 2 spot and needing a big performance to keep it.
Hendon Hooker Has ‘Most to Prove’
Reporter Jeff Risdon of USA Today’s Lions Wire identified Detroit’s players with the most to prove this offseason, putting Hooker on the list. Though the 2024 season was the first real chance for Hooker to prove his worth on the field, he ended up not doing enough to win the backup job outright.
“The 2023 third-round quarterback got a pass in his rookie season as he recovered from a knee injury suffered late in his final season at Tennessee,” Risdon wrote. “Last summer was Hooker’s first real taste of the NFL, and while he showed some potential, Hooker didn’t exactly assuage fears about his ability to adjust to the more complex and fast-moving NFL after playing in a simplistic college offense.”
After bringing trusted veteran Bridgewater to back up Jared Goff for the conclusion of the season and the playoffs — including a short stretch where Bridgewater had to play in the divisional round of the playoffs while Goff was being evaluated for an injury — Hooker has a new competitor this offseason.
Risdon noted that former starting quarterback Kyle Allen will be vying for the job and pushing Hooker to live up to the potential the team saw when they drafted him.
“The move to bring in a viable competitor for the No 2 spot in vet Kyle Allen should be seen as an indication that Hooker needs to show more heading into his third NFL season, although just his second healthy offseason,” Risdon wrote. “With a new OC and passing game coordinator making some tweaks to the offense, Hooker will need to adapt quickly. Allen is a much more viable challenger than David Blough, Nate Sudfeld or Jake Fromm have been to Hooker in Detroit.”
Insider Suggests More Competition for Hendon Hooker
The Lions could still add more competition for Hooker this summer. Christian Booher of SI.com suggested the team could look at signing Michigan Panthers quarterback Bryce Perkins, who just earned MVP honors in the UFL.
“Perkins has been electric for the Panthers as a dual-threat signal-caller, throwing for 1,342 yards and nine touchdowns while also throwing for 301 yards and five scores,” Booher wrote.
The Lions have been known to stack up on competition for question marks on the roster, which they did over the last two seasons when looking for a steady kicker and in 2022 when they signed Sudfeld just before the season started to provide more depth at quarterback.
