When the Las Vegas Raiders built their roster last season, they traded up in the second round of the NFL Draft to draft rookie tight end Michael Mayer from Notre Dame.
As much as they valued the rookie tight end and believed in his long-term potential, Las Vegas stayed consistent and paired him with veteran tight end Austin Hooper.
Hooper joined the Raiders after stints with the Tennessee Titans and Cleveland Browns, respectively, signing a one-year deal with the Raiders worth a little more than $2.5 million.
Hooper has played in at least 16 games each of the last three seasons but totaled only 234 receiving yards on 25 receptions this season with the Raiders.
While Hooper's 234 yards were the lowest yardage total of his career, he finished the season with nearly the highest catch rate percentage of his career, nearly 81 percent. He was also near the top of the league in the category.
For a tight end who was the second receiving option of the two best tight ends on the Raiders' roster, Hooper was a dependable blocker and a dependable pass catcher.
Las Vegas' coaching staff and the offense could look different next season, as Hooper's future is up in the air as much as anyone's.
Hooper, however, has done what he was tasked to do in Las Vegas, performing well when called upon and being an experienced veteran tight end Mayer could learn from.
Hooper might not be the tight end he once was in terms of receiving, but at the very least, he wasn't a liability on the field and helped out significantly when Mayer missed games because of an injury late in the season.
While Hooper's number mighty not jump off the stat sheet, he wasn't brought in to register stats, as much as he was brought in as a steady veteran presence to go along with the young and talented Mayer.
Hooper also was brought to Las Vegas to help block for one of the best rushing attacks in the National Football League Josh Jacobs. It wasn't glamourous, but Hooper succeeded at both things by all accounts. Now, the Raiders must decide on Hooper's future with the team.
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