Brad Holmes' comments on Hendon Hooker confirm suspicion held during the Lions season and points to what his future will have to be
During the 2025 season, the Detroit Lions seemed to be constantly telling us that they just did not feel that Hendon Hooker was ready yet. It started in the summer when they went back and forth about whether or not they would keep three quarterbacks, and that goes up until the final day before cutdown time. […]
During the 2025 season, the Detroit Lions seemed to be constantly telling us that they just did not feel that Hendon Hooker was ready yet.
It started in the summer when they went back and forth about whether or not they would keep three quarterbacks, and that goes up until the final day before cutdown time.
Ultimately, Nate Sudfeld was really bad and the Lions had to make a move there, but the interest for another backup was always there. In November, the Lions reportedly had "significant interest" in signing former Giants starter Daniel Jones. That didn't wind up happening as Jones chose to go to the Vikings.
One month later, Teddy Bridgewater came out of retirement, and the Lions signed him. Dan Campbell talked about how the Lions were going into "a different world" and how he had a lot of trust for Bridgewater.
Then in the playoffs, the Lions made Hooker inactive and the emergency quarterback and went with Bridgewater as their number two. A guy who was retired up until a few weeks before that game.
On Monday, we got to hear from Lions general manager Brad Holmes about why the team signed Kyle Allen and what that means for Hooker.
"It's competition that's all it is. Look, we like Hendon and we're excited about him." Holmes said, " We brought Teddy Bridgewater in just because we're gearing up for the playoffs. He (Hooker) just wasn't ready, and he understood that, but still got my hopes for him, but nobody's going to be giving a job either. So if Hendon wants to be the number two quarterback, win the number two quarterback job."
There you go. That confirms that the Lions just didn't feel that Hooker was ready and that they could trust him if he needed to play in the playoffs. It also confirms that Allen was not a depth signing. They expect him to compete for that QB2 job this summer.
We also know that the Lions have talked to a few quarterbacks during the NFL Draft process. One of those guys is Alabama's Jalen Milroe. We'll see soon if that means anything at all. But Hooker is going to have to earn his keep with a big summer.
The Detroit Lions need to keep paying the mortgage before they can go on vacation, per Brad Holmes
Maybe the weirdest headline I've ever gone with, but there's a reason for it. We got a chance to catch up with Detroit Lions GM Brad Holmes at the 2025 NFL League meetings in Palm Beach, Florida, on Monday, and Holmes had some thoughts on Lions fans wanting the team to spend more money and […]
