The Detroit Lions have already closed the book on Hendon Hooker, but the quarterback they selected in the third round three years ago is still looking for a foothold in the NFL.
After Tennessee released him Sunday as it finalized a 53-man roster built around Cam Ward and Mitchell Trubisky, Hooker is again available, and the Green Bay Packers have been floated as a possible next stop.
For Lions fans, the story is less about where Hooker might land than about how quickly a high-upside college prospect became a journeyman. Detroit took him in 2023 after a productive two-year stretch at Tennessee, betting that his size, mobility and arm talent could develop behind Jared Goff.
Limited opportunities followed. He appeared in three games in 2024 and completed 6 of 9 passes. Last August the Lions cut him. Stints with Carolina, the Jets and the Titans have not produced a lasting role. He will turn 28 during the coming season.
Bill Huber of On SI included Hooker among the reclamation-project names Green Bay could consider for its third quarterback spot after trading Kyle McCord to Miami and leaving the practice squad without a signal-caller.
“The Lions drafted Hooker in the third round in 2023 after he threw for 6,080 yards with 58 touchdowns and five interceptions during his two seasons at Tennessee,” Huber wrote. “In five college seasons, he added 2,079 rushing yards and 25 touchdowns. He was 6-of-9 in three appearances for the Lions in 2024. This preseason, he was 9-of-13 (69.2 percent) for 89 yards.”
That preseason efficiency is modest, but it is the kind of small sample that keeps a veteran on the fringe of roster conversations. The Packers already have Jordan Love and Tyrod Taylor.
Taylor, at 37, is not a long-term answer, so whoever fills the third spot could compete for the backup job in 2027. Hooker’s dual-threat background is similar to the skill set Matt LaFleur previously coaxed production from in Malik Willis.
From Detroit’s vantage point the development is mostly academic. The Lions have their starter and a clearer succession plan than they did when they drafted Hooker. Still, watching a former third-round pick try to restart his career across the division would carry a familiar NFC North twist.
Green Bay has not claimed anyone off waivers and has not added a quarterback to the practice squad, so the door remains open. W
hether Hooker walks through it or finds another landing spot, his path already illustrates how thin the margin is between a promising draft pick and another name circulating in late August.
Lions supporters who once hoped he would push the depth chart now simply hope he finds a roster that gives him one more real look.
