It wasn’t long ago that the Detroit Lions had a carousel at quarterback. Joey Harrington, Scott Mitchell, and Charlie Batch tried to fill the role of a franchise signal caller, but nothing worked as the Lions became one of the doormats of the NFL. Matthew Stafford stopped the carousel with his run in the 2010s, but Jared Goff has taken the torch and led the Lions to their biggest run of success since the 1950s.
While Goff is entrenched as the Lions' starter, they still have questions behind him. That includes a quarterback Detroit invested in a few years ago but is fighting for his job as the calendar turns to July.
Lions QB Hendon Hooker May Not Make it Out of Training Camp
The Lions selected Hendon Hooker in the third round of the 2023 NFL Draft based on a stellar stint at the University of Tennessee. Hooker threw for 6,080 yards, 58 touchdowns and five interceptions during his two seasons in Knoxville and played his way into the NFL Draft radar despite suffering a torn ACL during his final collegiate season.
Injuries haven’t stopped the Lions from investing in players in the past (see Jameson Williams in 2022) and Hooker’s accuracy made the front office believe he could be a developmental quarterback. But instead of rising to the occasion, Hooker has had more downs than ups during his professional career.
Hooker “redshirted” his rookie campaign as he recovered from the knee injury and appeared in three games in 2024. While he completed 6-of-9 passes for 62 yards, his appearances came in mop-up duty. Even worse, the Lions signed Teddy Bridgewater toward the end of the season, and when Goff momentarily left the divisional round game against the Washington Commanders, it was Bridgewater who took the field to run a few plays in his absence.
Being passed over for any quarterback is a tough pill to swallow. But being passed over for a quarterback who was retired and coaching high school football for the majority of the season is even more difficult to digest.
Brad Holmes put Hooker on notice by signing Kyle Allen this offseason and while Detroit QB coach Mark Brunell gave Hooker a positive review during OTA’s, Sports Illustrated's Vito Chirco shined some doubt on either player being the solution to the Lions backup quarterback problem this season.
“Just as was the case last year, if the Lions have to go to their backups…for any extended period of time, they’ll be in trouble,” Chirco wrote. “I do believe Hooker is more prepared now than he was a season ago to come into a game and relieve Goff (or even spot start for him). However, I still believe Detroit would be playing with fire if it had to rely upon its backups.”
Hendon Hooker May Not Be Guaranteed A Job Even if He Beats Kyle Allen
Chirco also noted that “99 percent” of the other 31 teams would be in the same situation if their starting quarterback went down with an injury. But this spells trouble for Hooker.
First, Hooker is already entering his age 27 season after spending the first four years of his collegiate career at Virginia Tech. While his 2023 season can be forgiven, it’s also a lost opportunity to get the ball rolling after coming into the league at 25. Hooker also may not be guaranteed a job even if he beats Allen out in camp as the Lions could look toward the trade market if neither quarterback is deemed sufficient for the backup job.
It’s a big challenge for Hooker entering training camp and could be his last days with the team as the calendar turns to July.