Quarterback Connection Helped Titans Land Hooper
NASHVILLE – Kevin Hogan never has thrown a pass in a game as a member of the Tennessee Titans. Not in the preseason (he was signed off the street last November). Not in the regular season (he got on the field in one contest, in garbage time). Certainly not in the postseason.
It was his connection to tight end Austin Hooper, however, that helped the Titans score one of their most significant additions thus far this offseason.
The team formally announced Monday that they signed the veteran tight end who has more receptions over the past five years than all but three others at his position. It was two days earlier that the sides agreed to a one-year, $6 million pact courtesy of significant input from Hogan, the Titans’ third-string quarterback.
“(Hogan) was my college quarterback … and just hearing what he had to say about the culture, about Coach [Mike] Vrabel, about [general manager] Jon Robinson, just understanding the men they are, how they lead this team, how they go about their business is just in line with a lot of the values that I wanted to experience in this part of my career,” Hooper said. “So, it was an easy decision for me once an offer was presented.”
A rundown of the NFL's leaders in receptions by tight ends over the past five seasons (2017-21):
| Player | Receptions | Yards | TDs |
|---|---|---|---|
Travis Kelce | 480 | 6,144 | 43 |
Zach Ertz | 388 | 4,001 | 28 |
George Kittle | 335 | 4,489 | 20 |
Austin Hooper | 279 | 2,753 | 20 |
Mark Andrews | 263 | 3,466 | 29 |
Hooper, 27, is coming off a season in which he caught 38 passes for 345 yards and three touchdowns, his lowest numbers since his rookie season (2016) with the Atlanta Falcons. It was his second year with the Cleveland Browns, the team that signed him to a four-year, $42 million free-agent deal in 2020. At the time he made the move, he had appeared in two straight Pro Bowls and topped 70 receptions in consecutive seasons.
The Browns released him last week, and the Titans quickly expressed interest. Hooper said he ultimately chose Tennessee over one other franchise that he seriously considered.
“There was some frustration there,” Hooper said of his time in Cleveland. “I mean, I’d be wondering why they gave me the deal and wouldn’t throw me the ball that much. But at the end of the day, I’ve always been the type of player to accept the role that I’ve been asked to do. In Cleveland, it was to be a predominant run blocker and [to] split reps and split time with other guys.”
There seems to be little doubt about how the Titans will use him.
The only other tight end with any meaningful experience currently on the roster is Geoff Swaim, a well-established as a run blocker who has 88 career receptions over seven NFL seasons. Anthony Firkser (he is currently a free agent) led the team’s tight ends in 2020 with 34 receptions. Twenty-five tight ends across the league, including Hooper and one of his Browns’ teammates, David Njoku, had more.
“I’m just here for an opportunity to compete,” Hooper said. “I’m not here to say, ‘I’m going to get X amount of catches, yards, touches.’ Nothing. None of that. I’m here to compete, get out there, get after it and help this team any way I can.”
Of course, outside of practices, it won’t be Hogan, a teammate of Hooper’s for two seasons at Stanford (2014-15), throwing the ball in Hooper’s direction. That will be Ryan Tannehill’s responsibility. And if something happens to Tannehill, Logan Woodside is next in line.
Hogan made his pitch last week. And, apparently, he was right on target.
“Most of my stuff was done with Hogan, honestly,” he said. “I called Kevin, talked to him for about a half-hour. He was my college quarterback, one of my best boys. I mean, once he laid it all out, I didn’t really need to ask any more questions. I have a buddy who is in there, telling me about the day-to-day, how they go about their business, how they handle certain situations, what is the schedule – like, all those questions were answered by Kevin.”
