It looks like former Tennessee Vols quarterback Hendon Hooker won't be seeing the field anytime soon for the Detroit Lions.
ESPN's Adam Schefter reported on Monday that Detroit is signing quarterback Jared Goff to a four year extension worth $212 million (with $170 million in guaranteed money).
Goff is now under contract with the Lions through the 2027 season with an option for the 2028 season.
Hooker, a third round selection by the Lions in the 2023 NFL Draft, has three years remaining on his rookie contract. That means barring injury, Hooker won't get a chance to start until he's nearly 30 years old. And that's assuming a team gives him a starting chance at that point (which is probably unlikely).
Now, who knows what transpires over the next couple of years. It's not like Goff is Patrick Mahomes out there. He's a good quarterback, but he's not a superstar. He could go through some struggles (or suffer an injury...though Goff has been durable as a pro) and get benched, which could lead to a chance for Hooker.
But for now, there's no clear path to playing time for Hooker, which is unbelievable considering he was a front runner for the Heisman Trophy in 2022 before a torn ACL prematurely ended his final season at Tennessee.
The Lions should do Hooker a favor and trade him to a team where he could get a chance to start (somewhere like the New York Giants maybe?). Otherwise, Hooker may never get a legitimate chance to prove that he can be a star in the NFL. And after the season he had for the Vols in 2022, he more than deserves that chance.
Hooker has done everything right as a football player. He's an elite leader, a tremendous athlete, an accurate passer, and he's incredibly tough. And yet he has no clear role in the NFL. Hopefully for his sake, he can find a way to the top of the depth chart somewhere in the NFL while he's still on his rookie deal. That's the only way that Hooker is going to have a shot to earn a lucrative free agent deal before turning 30.
