Tennessee Volunteers Quarterback Future Potentially in Jeopardy With NFL Franchise

Former Tennessee quarterback Hendon Hooker's future with the Detroit Lions could be in jeopardy.

Nov 28, 2024; Detroit, Michigan, USA; Detroit Lions quarterback Hendon Hooker (2) warms up before the game against the Chicago Bears at Ford Field. Mandatory Credit: David Reginek-Imagn Images | David Reginek-Imagn Images

Former Tennessee quarterback Hendon Hooker's future with the Detroit Lions could be in jeopardy.

The Tennessee Volunteers are coming off of yet another impressive season under head coach Josh Heupel as the Vols made their first ever college football playoff appearance. The end result may not have been ideal, but it felt like yet another step forward for the program.

The Volunteers got things rolling in the right direction during the 2022 college football when the Volunteers had one of the most electric offenses in the sport. A lot of that had to do with quarterback Hendon Hooker and how efficient he was that season in the passing game. It landed him in the 3rd round of the NFL draft that year to the Detroit Lions, but according to the latest reports, Hooker's future with the franchise could be in jeopardy.

Hooker just wrapped up his second season with the Lions and based on the fact that NFL veteran Teddy Bridgewater was pushed into the backup role this season and stepped into the game for Jared Goff when they needed him to, it put Hooker third on the depth chart.

ESPN's Bill Barnwell shared some insight on potential offseason moves for each NFL franchise and he tabbed Hooker as a potential cut candidate.

"QB Hendon Hooker. The Lions don't have anybody playing meaningful snaps who sticks out as a likely cap casualty," Barnwell wrote. "One potential candidate is the 27-year-old Hooker, who has thrown nine passes in two years. It seems telling that the Lions signed a quasi-retired Bridgewater at the end of the season and quickly pushed him ahead of Hooker on the depth chart, a move which ended up mattering when Jared Goff briefly left the playoff loss to the Commanders. Hooker is owed only $1.3 million in unguaranteed money in 2025, but he's too inexperienced to be a reliable backup and too old to be a quarterback of the future, especially after Goff signed an extension last May."

Hooker's long line of experience with football put him in a position to potentially find playing time quickly at the professional level, but the Lions might not be the spot where he finds that. His age and lack of experience at the professional level are certainly against him, but the league is always in need of quarterbacks, and Hooker has proven he is efficient enough to hold a spot somewhere in the league.

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