Detroit Lions quarterback Hendon Hooker was once seen as the potential successor to Jared Goff, but now the former third-round pick could find himself fighting for a spot on the depth chart.
The Lions landed Hooker with the No. 68 overall pick in 2023, a long-term project for a quarterback rehabbing a torn ACL that cut short his final season at Tennessee. Hooker showed promise through his first year in Detroit and earned some praise from coaches, but has failed to lock down the No. 2 spot and will need to win the job in an open competition this summer.
Lions Planning Quarterback Competition
Lions general manager Brad Holmes laid out the team’s quarterback plans this week, telling reporters at the league’s meetings that Hooker will be competing with veteran Kyle Allen for the right to back up Goff.
“I mean, look, we like Hendon,” Holmes said, via USA Today’s Lions Wire. “He had the injury that first year, then last year that was the first year that he kind of was able to do a full year of training camp and during the season. And then we brought Teddy Bridgewater in just because we were gearing up for the playoffs and postseason and he just wasn’t ready yet, you know? And he understood that.”
The Lions gave Allen a one-year, $1.27 million contract this offseason, injecting some competition to their quarterback room.
Holmes said the team still holds Hooker in high standing, but don’t plan to hand him the job without a fight.
“Still got high hopes for [Hooker], but nobody’s gonna be given a job either,” Holmes stated. “So if Hendon wants to be the number two quarterback, then win the No. 2 quarterback job.”
Hooker was once considered a potential successor to Goff, but the Lions quarterback turned in strong performances in 2023 and 2024, leading the team to two consecutive NFC North titles. During that time, Hooker showed promise but failed to secure the top spot, with the team instead putting veteran Teddy Bridgewater as the No. 2 for its playoff game against the Wasington Commanders.
Lions Expect Big Things From Jared Goff
The Lions may be planning a competition for the No. 2 spot, but Goff’s standing with the team is not in question. Head coach Dan Campbell shared praise for the veteran quarterback this week, saying the team expects him to take on an even bigger role after competing a career-best 72.4% of his passes last season.
“He continues to grow every year,” Campbell said, via MLive.com. “I would say the next step for him, and he knows this, every year, like last year he came to us, everything we wanted him to do in the offense, he did.
“And then he began to bring stuff to us, as ‘Hey, man,’ I can see this look. Let me get to this play. I know I’ve got these options in the bag. But let me get to this, as well. Right? Those are the things where it’s like, he’s ‘OK, here we go, man.’ That’s beginning to show. I would anticipate to that to take another step up.”
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