There’s been some speculation over the last few weeks that the Detroit Lions could trade former Tennessee Vols quarterback Hendon Hooker this offseason.
Hooker, a third round selection by the Lions in the 2023 NFL Draft, was pushed to the No. 3 quarterback role for Detroit in the playoffs after the franchise signed Teddy Bridgewater late in the season.
Bridgewater spent the majority of 2024 regular season as a high school football coach in Florida.
The decision to push Hooker to the No. 3 role seemingly indicates that Detroit doesn’t fully trust the former Vol as the primary backup to Jared Goff.
If that’s the case, then a trade might be Hooker’s only chance to see playing time before the end of his rookie contract (Hooker will be a free agent after the 2026 season).
ESPN’s Tim Hasselbeck, a former NFL quarterback turned analyst, suggested on Monday that the New York Jets should look into acquiring Hooker.
Reports on Sunday indicated that New York isn’t bringing quarterback Aaron Rodgers back in 2025, which means they’ll be in the market for a quarterback this offseason.
The Jets hired former Detroit Lions defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn as their new head coach last month.
Hooker and Glenn were together for two seasons in Detroit.
“I’ll throw out a different name,” said Hasselbeck on SportsCenter on Monday. “With Aaron Glenn being there, and the way things have gone in Detroit, is Hendon Hooker available? Is there a way to get Hendon Hooker in house? If for some reason the people that were around him there [in Detroit] felt like he was somebody that could turn into a starting quarterback.”
The Jets wouldn’t be an ideal destination for Hooker — it’s not exactly a place where quarterbacks have thrived.
But at this point, Hooker, who turned 27 last month, likely just wants an opportunity to play. And if that’s with the Jets, even though it’s not the best situation, it would still be better than riding the pine in Detroit.
The Jets have the No. 7 selection in the 2025 NFL Draft, so there’s no guarantee that they’ll draft a quarterback in the first round. I wouldn’t say that New York trading for a quarterback is likely, but it’s at least a scenario that could be in play this offseason.
And Hooker, because of his connection to Glenn, is name that would make sense for the Jets.