Patriots
Hooper appeared in 17 video games final season with New England — catching 45 passes for 476 yards and three touchdowns.
The New England Patriots are reportedly re-upping one in every of Drake Maye’s most reliable pass-catchers from final season.
In line with ESPN’s Adam Schefter, New England is re-signing veteran tight finish Austin Hooper on a one-year, $5 million contract that has a max worth of $7 million.
A two-time Professional Bowler, Hooper was one in every of Eliot Wolf’s higher free-agent signings final offseason — with the 30-year-old tight finish forming an efficient 1-2 punch on the tight-end place alongside Hunter Henry.
Hooper additionally has some familiarity with new Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel, as he performed for him in Tennessee in the course of the 2022 season.
Whereas Henry (66 catches for 674 yards and two touchdowns) was planted atop the depth chart, Hooper supplied loads of worth in a backup position in the course of the 2024 marketing campaign. Hooper appeared in 17 video games final season with New England, catching 45 passes for 476 yards with three touchdowns.
On a Patriots’ offense that struggled all through the 2024 season, New England discovered some success deploying a two-tight-end set between Henry and Hooper. The latter recorded his most receiving yards in a single season for the reason that 2019 marketing campaign.
Whereas New England nonetheless has loads of work to do with regards to upgrading an offense that ranked thirty first within the league in yards per recreation (291.9) and thirtieth in factors per recreation (17.0), bringing again a veteran like Hooper ought to solidify what’s already a powerful tight-end grouping in Foxborough.
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