Skip to main content

Watch: Former Tennessee QB Hendon Hooker scores first NFL touchdown

IMG_3593by:Grant Ramey08/17/24

GrantRamey

Hendon Hooker, Detroit Lions | Denny Medley-USA TODAY Sports
(Denny Medley-USA TODAY Sports) Aug 17, 2024; Kansas City, Missouri, USA; Kansas City Chiefs cornerback Ekow Boye-Doe (40) misses the tackle as Detroit Lions quarterback Hendon Hooker (2) runs in for a touchdown during the second half at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Denny Medley-USA TODAY Sports

Hendon Hooker scored his first NFL touchdown Saturday, running seven yards for a fourth-quarter score that helped the Detroit Lions beat the Kansas City Chiefs 24-23 in the second week of the preseason. 

Hooker, who split time with Nate Sudfeld, finished the game 12-for-15 passing for 150 yards and rushed five times for 11 yards. Last week he went 5-for-9 for 36 yards with four rushes for 34 yards in a 14-3 loss to the New York Giants. 

Hooker is competing for a roster spot alongside Sudfeld, backing up starter Jared Goff. The Lions in May signed Goff to a four-year, $212 million contract that runs through the 2028 season. Hooker is currently on a four-year, $5.7 million rookie contract that runs through the 2026 season. 

Lions head coach Dan Campbell said after drafting Hooker that his rookie year would be a “redshirt year” while Hooker continued to rehab his torn ACL.

“He’s got to get this leg right first and then he’ll learn under Jared (Goff),” Campbell said at the time, “and then let’s see what happens. If he can eventually become your (No. 2 quarterback) or maybe down the road, later on, it’s more than that, but it’s going to be a long time.”

Hooker tore his ACL in November 2022, ending an incredible two-year run with Tennessee Football that saw him pass for 6,080 yards and throw 58 touchdowns against just five interceptions.

Lions drafted Hendon Hooker in third round of 2023 NFL Draft

In 2022 Hooker threw for 3,135 yards, 27 touchdowns and two interceptions, completing 69.6 percent of his passes, in 11 games before suffering the season-ending injury. He passed for 2,945 yards with 31 touchdowns and three interceptions in 2021.

Top 10

  1. 1

    Elko pokes at Kiffin

    A&M coach jokes over kick times

  2. 2

    Dan Lanning

    Oregon coach getting NFL buzz

  3. 3

    UK upsets Duke

    Mark Pope leads Kentucky to first Champions Classic win since 2019

    Trending
  4. 4

    5-star flip

    Ole Miss flips Alabama WR commit Caleb Cunningham

    Hot
  5. 5

    Second CFP Top 25

    Newest CFP rankings are out

View All

He transferred to Tennessee after two years at Virginia Tech, where he passed for 2,894 yards, with 22 touchdowns and seven interceptions. 

Hooker was the fifth quarterback taken in the 2023 NFL Draft, selected by the Lions in the third round at No. 68 overall, and started a run of four Vols taken in the third round over a span of nine selections. Jalin Hyatt (No. 73, New York Giants), Cedric Tillman (No. 74, Cleveland Browns) and Byron Young (No. 77, Los Angeles Rams) followed shortly after Hooker finally heard his name called.

Campbell said after minicamp in June that Hooker would have to “take another step up” to earn the backup quarterback spot. 

“We need to feel like by the end of [training] camp this guy can run this offense,” Campbell said. “He’s somebody that we know we can play the game a certain way. We know he’s going to be able to process the information. He’s going to get us in the right play and he’s going to keep the ship afloat. That’s it.”

“We don’t need him to come in and win a game,” Campbell said. “You just want to feel like, ‘all right.’ So obviously, he’s going to need to take another step up.”

You may also like