Lions Urged to Consider Adding $196 Million QB

“Hooker is a tantalizing talent who once dominated at Tennessee and finished fifth in the 2022 Heisman Trophy race,” wrote Paul Kasabian. “But he also hasn’t played since suffering a devastating knee injury that ended his collegiate career in Nov. 2022.

“Hooker could very well find a home as a QB1 somewhere someday and carve out a successful career. But it may also be a bit nervy to hand the keys to him if QB1 Jared Goff has to miss time simply due to his lack of experience.”

Tannehill has earned just shy of $196 million in his NFL career according to Spotrac. But he should be relatively inexpensive on a 1-year deal this offseason.

Spotrac projected Tannehill to be worth $7.7 million for the 2024 season.

Last year, Tannehill went 3-5 as a starter and posted a 64.8% completion percentage with 4 touchdowns and 7 interceptions in 10 games. He averaged 7 yards per pass attempt.

In his 12-year career, Tannehill holds an 81-70 record as a starter.

What the Lions Could Get Signing QB Ryan Tannehill

With Tannehill, the Lions would be adding a veteran signal caller to replace Teddy Bridgewater. In 2023, Bridgewater served as Goff’s backup while Hooker recovered from his ACL tear.

Bridgewater announced his retirement this offseason.

Tannehill entered the NFL as the No. 8 overall pick for the Miami Dolphins in the 2012 NFL draft. He started 77 straight games to begin his career and posted his first winning record as a starter in 2016.

But Tannehill tore his ACL in December 2016 and then missed all of 2017. Then after he struggled upon a return in 2018, the Dolphins traded Tannehill to the Tennessee Titans.

He began 2019 as backup to Marcus Mariota. Midway through 2019, though, Tannehill entered the starting lineup and led the Titans to a 7-3 record.

In his first three seasons with the Titans, Tannehill went 30-13 as a starter. From 2019-21, Tennessee earned three consecutive playoff berths, which included the No. 1 seed in 2021.

This past season, Tannehill lost his starting job to rookie Will Levis after suffering a high-ankle sprain. For 2024, Tannehill is very unlikely to find a starting job at this point in free agency. But he could still be a reliable backup for a team with Super Bowl aspirations.

Do the Lions Trust Hendon Hooker to be Jared Goff’s Backup?

Adding a backup quarterback with experience makes a lot of sense for the Lions on paper.

But if Hooker serves as Detroit’s third-string signal caller this season, it will be more difficult for the team to get him practice repetitions. Goff would obviously practice with the first-team offense while Tannehill (if signed) would likely receive the rest of the snaps behind center.

Hooker, though, needs those practice repetitions for his development. If Hooker doesn’t practice with either the first or second-team offense, he’s unlikely to develop to the point where Detroit is ever comfortable with him as their backup.

That makes whether or not to sign Tannehill a more complicated question. Tannehill would likely be a better quarterback to turn to if Goff misses significant time in 2024. But from a long-term perspective, the Lions would be better off prioritizing Hooker’s development.