5 quarterback options for the Detroit Lions if they decide to go shopping after Hendon Hooker and Kyle Allen's struggles, including two Pro Bowlers

If there was one thing all Detroit Lions fans noticed on Thursday night, it was that both Lions backup quarterbacks struggled in this game. Kyle Allen had accuracy issues and threw two picks, and Hendon Hooker just basically never threw the ball and walked out with 18 passing yards and an interception.

Naturally, this caused Lions fans ot take to social media and ask for a new quarterback. So we decided to take a look at what's out there, and let me tell you, the cupboard is pretty bare. Here's what we got:

Bryce Perkins

The MVP of the UFL in 2025. The former Michigan Panther had himself a pretty strong season, and everyone thought he'd find his way to an NFL roster this summer. Somehow, that has not happened, and he's still out there. Obviously, the big concern with him is that he's already 29 years old. That's fine for the Lions since they're not needing a young QB right now so much as they just need a firm hand on the wheel if Goff were to go down. We saw that Perkins rarely goes down by the wya. He was incredibly hard to tackle as he just scrambled all over the place this season, and he can wing the pig, too. Don't think he's just a mobile guy.

Tyler Huntley

The only Pro Bowl quarterback sitting in free agency right now. Yes, Huntley made a Pro Bowl in 2022. No, we still don't really understand why. He was an alternate who got in based on injuries and guys who just didn't want to be there. But he started a decent bit of that 2022 season for the Ravens, and he did fairly well. You're not getting a lot of throwing accuracy here, but Huntley can hand the ball off like it's nobody's business.

Carson Wentz

Back in 2016, Lions quarterback Jared Goff was the first pick in the draft. Wentz was the guy taken right after him. He had some good looks early in his career and made a Pro Bowl and helped the Eagles win a Super Bowl, but he has dissolved into a career backup in the last three seasons. He's shown to be a decent one, too. Like a lot of these guys, the Lions wouldn't get someone who is going to come in and shock the world. This is just hand on the wheel and probably one that doesn't jerk the wheel and drive into a bridge abutment. Wentz can play. At this point, I wonder if he wants to, though.

Kenny Pickett

It really depends on whether the Browns even want to move him. They have such a weird quarterback situation over there right now. Joe Flacco is maybe the starter, and then they drafted both Dillon Gabriel and Shedur Sanders. One of these guys has to be the odd man out, and it feels like Pickett. Man, things did not go well for him in Pittsburgh, and that certainly gives some pause to bringing him in because he just doesn't throw touchdown passes, and that's kind of part of the job.

Dorian Thompson-Robinson

Ok, this one is all about me. Thompson-Robinson was a draft crush for me coming out of the 2023 NFL Draft. I loved the mobility and throw-on-the-run type stuff that he could do at UCLA. He is a guy who is in desperate need of just finding a spot where he can get good quarterback coaching and have a strong group around him. The Lions with Mark Brunell, Bruce Gradkowski, Marques Tuiasosopo, Jared Goff, John Morton, and Dan Campbell can provide one hell of a group for him to learn from. This guy has talent; he just needs help harnessing it.

Because I know someone is going to ask about Kirk Cousins

Look, I know that some are going to ask about the possibility that the Lions might make a move with the Atlanta Falcons to get Kirk Cousins to Detroit. This would not be a smart move for the Lions. They would take on a $27.5 million base salary in 2025. Jared Goff's base salary this year is $18 million. Having your backup quarterback cost more than your starter is usually bad business. Now, if the Falcons were to cut Cousins, which I personally doubt, then Brad Holmes should be on the first thing smoking to Atlanta to try to get Cousins back to Michigan. But that just feels unlikely since the Falcons would take on a giant amount of dead cap.