Former Indianapolis Colts safety Malik Hooker had no issue being wrangled in by the Dallas Cowboys.
Hooker has been one of the NFL's more consistent secondary defenders since entering the league as the 15th overall pick of its 2017 draft. The league's 2020 campaign was awkward for countless players and constituents but it more or less upended Hooker's whole career: a torn Achilles sustained just two games into the season more or less severed his time with the Colts, who didn't bring him back despite earning 11 interceptions in his first three seasons.
Granted a one-year deal with the Cowboys, an unspoken "prove it" contract, Hooker lived up to the unofficial nickname and then some, as a healthy 15-game season granted him two more years with a starred helmet. As the Cowboys work through training camp in Oxnard, Hooker got the greatest gift to go into the weekend: on Friday, he and Dallas agreed to three additional years. ... a deal that can be worth up to $24 million annually.
“He’s an incredible football player,” coach Mike McCarthy said of Hooker. “You see the range he has, the ball skills. He’s an exceptional athlete that does a great job commanding the back end of the defense for us.”
With the Ohio State alum locked in through at least the 2026 season, the often-plate shaking world of Cowboys football now has a sense of stability. Hooker once against stayed mostly healthy en route to a playoff appearance, picking up career-bests in takcles (66) and interceptions (3). He also scored his first NFL touchdown, ironically taking back a fumble for 38 yards against his original employers during a nationally-televised 59-14 shellacking.
Hooker has been with the team for "only" two seasons, but it's felt like an eternity ... in the best way possible.
"It's funny, because I've mistaken how many years I've been here," Hooker said. "Sometimes I say four, sometimes I say five [years]. It's been that long. As quick as it seems, everything has turned around and we've been together for three years."
"It felt like a family. I wanted to make it mandatory that I stayed here ... When I tell you that we're really close outside of this football stuff? I knew I didn't want to go anywhere and play with anybody else. This is where I've been calling home these last few years. I'm comfortable here and a lot of the people like me."
That family in Dallas includes 2019 sixth-round pick Donovan WIlson as well as his fellow 2021 arrivals Jayron Kearse and Israel Mukuamu. Each will be heavily relied upon in a schedule that features matchups against the high-octane offenses of the New York Jets, San Francisco 49ers, Los Angeles Chargers, and Buffalo Bills ... not to mention the expected divisional showdowns against the New York Giants and Philadelphia Eagles.
Accepting the challenge is part of the gratitude he's developed for the stability Dallas has offered him. After missing most of 2020, he's not taking a single down for granted. The higher the stakes those downs carry, the better.
"Whether I came here or somewhere else, I was going to leave my mark," said Hooker. "I was going to make it hard on them to make any decision on letting me go. I feel like I've done that. Since I've been here, I feel like I've grown to be one of the leaders in the locker room, and someone the guys look up to on defense."
"I don't take that for granted or take it lightly. I'm glad to be able to still be here and be able to lead like I've been leading."
Hooker and the Cowboys unofficially return to action on Saturday when they open the 2023 preseason against the Jacksonville Jaguars (4 p.m. CT, KTVT).
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