There is a lot of curiosity in the Raiders' tight end room this season.
This offseason, the Raiders traded away All-Pro tight end Darren Waller to the New York Giants in exchange for the 100th pick in the 2023 NFL Draft.
Since the departure of Waller, the Raiders filled the tight end gap by signing a veteran tight end in Austin Hooper and drafted rookie tight end, Michael Mayer.
Hooper is entering his eighth season as a starting tight end in the NFL. The 2016 first-round draft pick has played for three NFL teams: the Atlanta Falcons, Cleveland Browns, and Tennessee Titans. During his eight-year NFL career, he has 339 receptions for 3,468 yards and 25 touchdowns.
This will be Hooper's first season with the Silver and Black. He had the chance to speak to the media about his impressions of the Raiders' tight end room and overall talent on the Raiders offense.
"Yeah, I think the organization has done tremendous job of bringing guys at every position group, not just offense, but defense and core special teamers as well, to compete and push everyone for greatness," Hooper said. "Speaking on my room alone, like we've got a lot of guys who have truly made me better, because I know I can't afford a day off with them pushing, and it's been a great collaborative environment with Coach Jerry [Schuplinski] and all the guys in the room. It's made for a fun group where we push each other, but at the same time we also have fun with it, after all. Like we're playing a kid’s game and sometimes we forget that. So, we have fun, but we also push each other to be better daily."
Hooper is listed as the starting tight end for the Silver and Black and plans to make an impact during his first year with the Raiders this season.
The Silver and Black open the preseason by hosting the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday, Aug. 13, at 4 p.m. EDT/1 p.m. PDT.
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