Austin Hooper to sign with New England Patriots, per report

Hooper reunites with former Browns offensive coordinator

According to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, former Las Vegas Raiders tight end Austin Hooper will sign with the New England Patriots when free agency officially begins.

Hooper only spent this past season in Las Vegas but played in all 17 games and made nine starts. He began the year as the team’s first-string tight end while rookie second-round pick Michael Mayer got his feet wet in the NFL. Mayer eventually took over the starting role around the midway point of the season, pushing Hooper down the depth chart until Mayer suffered an injury and missed Weeks 17 and 18.

The eight-year veteran had 25 catches for 234 yards both of which were his lowest figures since his rookie season and this was the first year he was kept out of the endzone. He now heads to New England where he’ll likely backup Hunter Henry, who recently agreed to a new three-year, $27 million contract with the Patriots.

Hooper will reunite with offensive coordinator Alex Van Pelt, who was rumored to be a candidate for the Raiders’ opening earlier in the offseason. Those two spent 2020 and 2021 together with the Cleveland Browns and the tight end logged 84 catches for 780 yards and seven touchdowns in 29 games under Van Pelt.

Meanwhile, this could put the Raiders in the market for a second tight end. Behind Mayer, the other tight ends that are currently under contract are Zach Gentry, Cole Fotheringham and John Samuel Shenker. Of those three, Fotheringham is the only one to record a catch during the regular season, one for six yards.

It’s a young position group for the Silver and Black so the front office might explore free agent options. A few names to look out for over the next few weeks are Logan Thomas, C.J. Uzomah and Robert Tonyan Jr.

Las Vegas’ coaching staff has connections to all three players. Thomas worked with Scott Turner with the Washington Commanders, Uzomah played for Marvin Lewis with the Cincinnati Bengals, and Tonyan Jr. was with the Green Bay Packers during Luke Getsy’s tenure.