Hendon Hooker leaves no doubt on how he feels about Lions head coach Dan Campbell after getting cut by Detroit last summer
Former Tennessee Vols quarterback Hendon Hooker spent the first two seasons of his NFL career with the Detroit Lions.
Former Tennessee Vols quarterback Hendon Hooker was selected by the Detroit Lions in the 2023 NFL Draft with the idea that he could serve as the backup to starter Jared Goff for a few seasons.
Hooker, though, never settled into the No. 2 quarterback role in Detroit.
The Lions signed Teddy Bridgewater out of retirement for the 2024 NFL playoffs, signaling that they didn’t trust Hooker to serve in that role.
Detroit then signed veteran quarterback Kyle Allen to serve as competition for Hooker last summer.
“Hooker knows the deal,” said Lions head coach Dan Campbell at the start of training camp last summer. “Man, this is no different. You’re out here to compete, you know…He knows it’s time to take the next step. And so it’s his move. And I think he’s wired right, and it means something to him. And so here we go, man, it’s open camp.”
Allen ended up winning the backup job, which led to Hooker being released by the Lions just before the start of the 2025 season.
Hooker, who attempted just nine regular season passes during his two seasons with the Lions, spent time last season with the Carolina Panthers and the New York Jets after getting released by Detroit.
Hendon Hooker is still a big fan of Lions head coach Dan Campbell
Despite being released by the Lions, Hooker made it clear recently that he still has a lot of love for Campbell.
“I love Dan Campbell, man,” said Hooker to The Jet Press. “He’s an amazing coach. He’s an amazing football mind. And he coaches with passion. He wants you to play with passion. And that just becomes contagious. You can see it throughout their whole team — everyone’s playing with their hair on fire.”
The NFL is a business at the end of the day, and feelings can get hurt at times because of personnel decisions that have to be made.
But at the same time, the relationships that are built are real. It’s no surprise that Hooker, who is wise beyond his years, is choosing to view his time with Campbell and the Lions in a positive light despite the partnership ending on a sour note last August.
Tennessee Volunteers News
It only took two days of spring practice for Tennessee to run into a mini controversy with a former Vols player
Well, that didn’t take long. The Tennessee Vols already have a dumb spring controversy on their hands.
