On Thursday night, news broke that the Detroit Lions had agreed to a contract with quarterback Kyle Allen. Within moments of that news breaking, plenty of fans (and some media members) rushed to social media to voice their opinion that signing Allen means the Lions are ready to move on from backup quarterback Hendon Hooker. Personally, I don’t think that’s the case at all.
A Sign of Things to Come for Hendon Hooker?
Let me be clear about something. Yes, the Lions could trade Hendon Hooker prior to the start of the 2025 season, but signing Allen does not shift the needle one way or the other for me. Tt this point, we don’t even know the details of the contract that Allen signed. For all we know, it does not include much guaranteed money, which would mean the Lions could just be bringing him in to compete with Jake Fromm for the No. 3 QB spot. On the other hand, the contract could include a solid amount of guaranteed money, which would paint a completely different picture.
The Detroit Lions Still Believe in Hooker
Dan Campbell has always been a straight shooter, so we have no reason to believe that what he said back in December, after the Lions re-signed Teddy Bridgewater, is a lie.
“It doesn’t mean we’re disappointed in Hooker. That’s not what this means,” Campbell said. “It just means this gives us somebody that’s played a lot in the NFL. We’re getting ready for the playoffs, so it’ll be good to get him back in the fold with us.”
“This does not mean that Hooker is out. That’s not what this means. If it comes to that, Hooker is going to play for us, but Teddy probably will, too,” Campbell said. “So, I understand what it looks like, but it’s just a different world that we’re getting ready to talk into, and we just felt like this is the right thing to do, especially with somebody that I have a tremendous amount of trust with and for. He understands our offense well, the guys know him well, the coaches know him well, and he brings a certain level of comfort to us.”
Bottom Line
The Detroit Lions coaching staff has had nothing but good things to say about Hendon Hooker, which makes me tend to believe that he will remain Jared Goff’s backup in 2025. Kyle Allen has proven time and time again that he is not a solid NFL quarterback, and I highly doubt the Lions will want to roll with him as their No. 2 guy. That said, I trust that Brad Holmes will make the moves he believes are best for the Lions, and if that means moving on from Hooker, then so be it.
