Hendon Hooker signs rookie NFL contract with the Detroit Lions
Hendon Hooker has signed his NFL rookie contract with the Detroit Lions. Hooker was selected in the third round by the Lions and is one of three signees from the Lions draft class so far, along with lineman Colby Sorsdal and receiver Antoine Green.
Spotrac values Hooker’s contract at $5.719 million, including $1.159 million as a signing bonus. He was the No. 68 overall pick in the NFL Draft and the first of four Tennessee players selected in the third round, ahead of wide receivers Jalin Hyatt (No. 73, New York Giants) and Cedric Tillman (No. 74, Cleveland Browns) and edge rusher Byron Young (No. 77, Los Angeles Rams).
Lions head coach Dan Campbell said earlier this week that the plan will be for Hooker to “redshirt” as a rookie coming off the ACL tear he suffered in November.
Hendon Hooker at Tennessee: 6,080 passing yards, 58 TDs, 5 INTs
“Really, this is a redshirt year for him,” Campbell said according to the Detroit Free Press. “He’s got to get this leg right first and then he’ll learn under Jared (Goff), 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 in two years at Tennessee passed for 6,080 yards and threw 58 touchdowns, with just five interceptions. Last season 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.
“I’m taking it day by day, continuing to control what I can control and keep a great attitude and work. That’s all I can do,” Hooker said in the Detroit Free Press. “It’s been a grind and I just take it day by day and whenever I’m ready to rock and roll, that’s going to be a sight to see.”
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Lions coach Dan Campbell: ‘There was something about (Hendon Hooker) that was appealing’
Hooker was projected as a high as a first-round pick leading up to the draft, but slipped to the third round, taken on Day 2 in Kansas City.
Where most teams held Hooker’s age against him — he turns 26 in January — the Lions looked at it as a positive, even with a redshirt season ahead.
“We knew (Hooker) was coming off the injury,” Campbell said, “but there was something about him that was appealing. He’s very mature. He looks the part, he’s got a big arm. He’s just, he’s got to learn how to play in the NFL.
“But he’s a pro now, and I like the fact that he was older. We all kind of like the fact that he was older. I think you want your quarterback to be a little bit more mature. They got a lot on their plate.”
