Austin Hooper’s reliability makes him free agency’s best value at the tight end position, and it’s not particularly close
Tight end is one of the most complex positions to learn in football. It takes real time to get fully acclimated to the NFL level, so it's frequent to see older players still making the most out of their chances, while promising youngsters fail to realize their potential. Last season, former New England Patriots tight […]
Tight end is one of the most complex positions to learn in football. It takes real time to get fully acclimated to the NFL level, so it's frequent to see older players still making the most out of their chances, while promising youngsters fail to realize their potential.
Last season, former New England Patriots tight end 2 Jonnu Smith signed with the Miami Dolphins in free agency and had a breakout season, with 884 yards. Now, another Patriots tight end 2 reaches the market as a good option for teams with a need at the position.
Austin Hooper is a good value to secure competency
The tight end position is complicated because the player has so many tasks. He has to pass block, run block, run routes, catch passes. Outside of a quarterback, no other offensive position demands a broader knowledge of the system. It's truly hard to be a competent all-around player.
This is the definition of Austin Hooper. He's not exactly a great or explosive pass-catcher, but he does everything right. And this is super important for an offense.
Through nine NFL seasons, Hooper has played for the Atlanta Falcons, Cleveland Browns, Tennessee Titans, Las Vegas Raiders, and New England Patriots. His best stretch was in the final two seasons with the Falcons in 2018 and 2019, when he combined for 1,447 yards and ten touchdowns.
But last year was proof of what he is at this point. Even as a secondary option behind Hunter Henry, Hooper was still an escape valve for rookie quarterback Drake Maye.
"While it was a slower start for Austin Hooper last season, he became a valuable target for Drake Maye. The tight end room was the most reliable, and it shows as Maye looked towards Hooper along with Hunter Henry in key moments," described Sophie Weller, who covers the New England Patriots for A to Z Sports. "Teams might look past Hooper due to his production last season, but that shouldn't be the case at all. He did what he could in a very poor situation and should be given an opportunity."
Impressive efficiency
As the second tight end on the depth chart, you would expect a low volume for Hooper on the Patriots. Yet, he was still able to have 45 catches for 476 yards, and three touchdowns.
But the most impressive part is how effective he was on a down-to-down basis.
Hooper was eighth amongst qualifying tight ends in the NFL in yards per route run (1.65), well ahead of Hunter Henry (22nd, 1.39). He was also ahead of established top options at the position like Dalton Kincaid, Sam LaPorta, Mike Gesicki, TJ Hockenson, Evan Engram, Pat Freiermuth and, guess who, Travis Kelce.
Hooper was also above Henry in passer rating when targeted (102.1 vs 98.2). He forced six missed tackles after the reception and generated 25 receiving first downs.
All-around player
As we've seen, Austin Hooper is a solid NFL receiving option. As a tight end, he's also a reliable blocker. He was amongst the 20 best tight ends in run block grade by PFF, and had a 97.5 efficiency rate in pass block, allowing just one pressure in 2024. As a run blocker, it was even better. Hooper was 10th in PFF grade overall, and the best one to run block in zone concepts.
Market valuation
Spotrac projects that Austin Hooper is expected to receive a one-year, $4.1 million deal. That's extremely affordable for a player who's not exactly young, but is still young enough to play two, three more seasons at a good level.
The top of the tight end market has Travis Kelce making $17.125 million a year, TJ Hockenson at $16.5 million, George Kittle at $15 million. Twenty-one tight ends make at least $5 million per season.
Adding Hooper for less than that would be an intriguing option for basically any team in football, and it's hard to have a player putting more on tape for a lower non-rookie contract.
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