The Detroit Lions have wrapped up their preseason schedule and are now in the process of finalizing their 53-man roster for the upcoming season. One of the themes of this year’s team has been depth, as the Lions saw their dream season a year ago turn into a nightmare with 16 players on the injured list.
With that fresh in head coach Dan Campbell’s mind, some players may have made the team in previous years that could be turning in their playbooks. That’s what happened for a player who struggled this season and drew the frustration of many around the team.
Sources: The #Lions are releasing QB Hendon Hooker. pic.twitter.com/O17026afn5
— Jordan Schultz (@Schultz_Report) August 25, 2025
Lions Cut QB Hendon Hooker Among First Roster Cuts
According to NFL insider Jordan Schultz, the Lions are releasing quarterback Hendon Hooker. Hooker was a third-round pick by the Lions in the 2023 draft but never found the same success he saw in his final two years with the Tennessee Volunteers, when he threw for 6,080 yards, 58 touchdowns, and five interceptions while completing 68.8% of his passes between the 2021 and 2022 seasons.
Hooker’s career was thrown awry when he suffered a torn ACL in his final year with the Volunteers and spent his entire rookie season recovering. While he served as Jared Goff’s backup last season, he was demoted to third string in favor of Teddy Bridgewater, who came out of retirement last December after coaching high school football.
It set up a big offseason for Hooker, who competed for the backup job against incoming veteran Kyle Allen. While Allen chucked a pair of interceptions during the Pro Football Hall of Fame Game, Hooker never took advantage, completing 22-of-40 passes with no touchdowns and three interceptions in the Lions’ four preseason games.
At age 27, Hooker was never on the traditional rookie arc. While Campbell stated that Hooker could still do some developing and had a much better preseason performance in 2024, his comments after Saturday’s preseason finale against the Houston Texans suggested it wasn’t worth keeping him around to sacrifice depth at another position.
Campbell also suggested that Hooker could use a change of scenery, and that’s exactly what he’ll get after his release. There’s a chance Hooker could latch on with a QB-needy team after roster cuts, but for now, he’ll have to find another opportunity after blowing his first one in Detroit.