Lions quarterbacks Jared Goff and Hendon Hooker will go head to head this training camp, but according to the team, there's already one clear winner.
The Detroit Lions have a plan for rookie quarterback Hendon Hooker, alright. It's called the 10-year plan.
Lions head coach Dan Campbell didn't exactly say how many years it would take Hooker to grow into a starting role, but based on his recent comments on the Green Light podcast, it's going to be "a long time". Like Jets-playoff-drought-long.
In an episode called "Dan Campbell Is Excited About Hendon Hooker's Potential," the title pretty much says it all. Campbell did mention how "excited" he was to see the 2023 third-rounder develop these next few years, yet at the same time, Campbell was very consciously buckling Hooker into the back of a car seat as if to say: this young buck's not ready.
Campbell said:
"This really is just a redshirt year for him. He's got to get this leg right first; then he'll learn under Jared [starting QB Goff] and let's see what happens, you know? If he can eventually become your [backup], or maybe down the road later on it's more than that. But it's going to be a long time."
Campbell admits that Hooker doesn't have starting potential right now and maybe never will — he notes that "eventually" the former Tennessee Volunteer can become a sturdy backup, and that down the road it could be "more than that."
A lot of intentionally vague phrasing there.
Lions don't see a clear future with rookie quarterback Hendon Hooker
What is crystal clear is that Jared Goff will be the team's starting quarterback for 2023 and 2024; unless he signs an extension, Goff will become an unrestricted free agent in 2025.
Goff, who is about to turn the other side of 30, may only have a few more playoff-caliber years left in him, and then it's up to the Lions brass to decided where to go from there.
Could Hooker, after recovering from his torn ACL, work his way up and claim the starting position for himself by that time? It's possible, Campbell muses, leaving oodles of room for interpretation.
That said, the fact that Campbell came out and declared Hooker's first year to be a redshirt year provides some indication that Detroit doesn't see the changing of the quarterback guard happening for a long, long time.
For now, fans should temper expectations surrounding Hooker — Campbell and the Lions clearly are.
