Austin Hooper signed with the New England Patriots at the start of free agency earlier this month, and apparently, a big draw for him was offensive coordinator Alex Van Pelt.
Hooper spent a couple of seasons under Van Pelt’s direction while with the Cleveland Browns, and it seems like the two-time Pro Bowl tight end developed some solid camaraderie with Van Pelt.
“We worked together for two years. Really smart guy. Good energy in the building. That’s a huge part of it,” Hooper said, via Mark Daniels of MassLive.com. “Most people just think of the three hours you see on Sunday, but there’s many more hours throughout the week where you’re spending a lot of time together, and it makes work so much better when you enjoy the people you work with. It makes sense, right?”
Hooper played for the Browns in 2020 and 2021. Over the course of those two years, he accumulated 84 catches for 780 yards and seven touchdowns.
Since then, the 29-year-old has suited up for the Tennessee Titans and Las Vegas Raiders, most recently logging 25 grabs for 234 yards with the Raiders this past season.
He hopes to experience more success in New England due to his reunion with Van Pelt.
“His style, his approach, his offense, his understanding of his personnel, and who he is as a man and coach, it’s going to make it really fun to be in the building every day,” added Hooper.
There was a time when Hooper was one of the top tight ends in the NFL during his early days with the Atlanta Falcons from 2016 through 2019. In his last two years with the Falcons, Hooper made back-to-back trips to the Pro Bowl, with his best season coming in 2019 when he hauled in 75 receptions for 787 yards and six scores.
It’s been a while since Hooper was that productive, but maybe he can rediscover some of his old form with the Patriots in 2024.
He certainly seems happy to be back with Van Pelt. That’s for sure.
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