Patriots reunite Austin Hooper with former OC: Contract details and grade

Maybe Austin Hooper shouldn't have left Matt Ryan's side all those years ago? The two-time Pro Bowler has been bouncing around the league ever since he left the Atlanta Falcons in free agency four years ago. Since leaving Atlanta, Hooper has played for the Cleveland Browns (2020-21), Tennessee Titans (2022) and Las Vegas Raiders (2023). He is signing with the New England Patriots.

The former tight end out of Stanford had his best years in Atlanta catching passes from Matty Ice but did have his moments playing for Kevin Stefanski's Browns a few years ago. One of the biggest reasons for that was his offensive coordinator at the time, Alex Van Pelt, who will now call plays for Jerod Mayo in Foxborough. To me, it gives me more of a reason to be slightly bullish on this signing.

Hooper is reportedly going to the Patriots on a one-year deal worth upwards of $4.25 million. The Patriots are swimming in cap space, mostly because the team is almost completely devoid of talent. They just signed a former Browns quarterback, Jacoby Brissett, who actually started his NFL career out of Florida by way of North Carolina State with the Patriots. Clearly, this will be Van Pelt's offense.

Hooper won't turn 30 until October, but he is still chasing the highs of his 2018-19 seasons in Atlanta.

Let's assess this reported signing, as well as handing out a grade for the deal the Patriots made.

New England Patriots sign TE Austin Hooper to a one-year contract

In terms of being positive about the signing, you have to like the reunion of sorts between Hooper and Van Pelt. Factor in Brissett having familiarity with not only Van Pelt's offense but New England as well. The Patriots might be one of the worst teams in football anyway, but there does seem to be a method to the madness in how they are going about building their offense. No, they are not done yet.

I would venture to guess that the Patriots are going to take a quarterback in the first round. Whether that is at where they are picking at No. 3 in the upcoming 2024 NFL Draft, or a few spots back, remains to be seen. In theory, you have to visualize this pickup of Hooper in conjunction with not only the Brissett acquisition but also the idea of either Drake Maye or Jayden Daniels playing for the Patriots.

While Hooper is a solid NFL tight end, he has proven to be a product of who his quarterback is. He has caught passes from one hall of famer, which was directly related to his final two years of brilliance in Atlanta. Could Daniels or Maye be that for New England? Perhaps, but you have to remember this is only a one-year deal for Hooper. He can have success in Van Pelt's system again, but not life-altering.

Since it is a team-friendly, one-year deal worth up to $4.25 million, there is more to like there than not.

Grade: B