Green Bay Packers: 3 Free Agent Options at Tight End
By Paul Bretl
Austin Hooper
Before we begin, I will fully admit this is probably a pipe dream for Packers fans given that the team doesn’t have the same spending power as they did in 2019. However, if they want to add more weapons to the passing game, I present to you Austin Hooper.
Even with missing a few weeks in 2019 due to an injury, Hooper still totaled nearly 800 receiving yards – a career high- at 10.5 yards per catch with six touchdowns and he hauled in 77 percent of the passes thrown his way. And perhaps that is Hooper’s best quality, his reliability. In his four-year career, he is averaging a 77.3 completion percentage during that span.
He also brings versatility with the ability to line up out-wide, inline, and in the slot where he played a fair amount in 2019. Which is all right up Matt LaFleur’s alley. On the flip side, it is worth mentioning that he’s really not on the field to block, where ever he ends up this offseason, he is meant to be a receiving threat.
Currently, Spotrac is projecting that Hooper lands a free agent contract with an average annual value of $9.9 million over five years. And while that sounds steep, given his production and the fact that he is only 25-years-old, it makes sense.