After two lackluster seasons in Cleveland it is clear Austin Hooper wants more in Nashville, he wants a chance to compete.
After two Pro Bowl seasons in Atlanta Hooper signed a 4-year, $42-million contract with the Cleveland Browns. It did not work out though as Hooper hauled in only 46 and 38 receptions.
“There was definitely some frustration there,” Hooper admitted Monday “I would be wondering why they gave me the deal and I was not really involved that much, but at the end of the day I’ve always been the type of player to accept the roll I’ve been asked to do and in Cleveland it was to be a predominate run blocker and to split reps and split time with other guys.”
After the 2021 season the Browns placed the Franchise Tag on David Njoku and cut Hooper loose.
For a Titans team with only one NFL tight end on the roster it was a chance to pounce on a player who posted two seasons with over 70 receptions with the Atlanta Falcons.For Hooper, he said the decision to sign was easy, “An offer helps! That was the big part of it.”
Hooper did say he was mulling an offer from another team but his college (Stanford) quarterback Kevin Hogan swayed him about the culture in Tennessee under Mike Vrabel and Jon Robinson.
Hogan made the decision easy and layed out for Hooper exactly what to expect, “He’ll just shoot it to you straight, I mean that is really all you want… As a man I appreciate that, I’d rather know where I stand than you smile in my face and stab me in the back.”
For Hooper it is a chance to prove once again he can be one of the top tight ends in the league. After the disappointment in Cleveland he sounds hungry, “Vrabel said are you ready to compete? I said, absolutely. 90 percent of what they were saying, not to be disrespectful, I just filtered out, I’m just here for an opportunity to compete. I’m not here to say I’m going to get X amount of catches, yards, tugs, nothing, just want an opportunity to compete.”
Hooper says he believes his versatility is his strength and he is absolutely a three down player, but his rout and running and ability to catch the football is a clear step up from what the Titans have had.
This has a chance to be a win-win scenario. Hooper can make the Titans a better team while re-establishing his status in the league and make himself a handsome payday in 2023.