'Hendon's never been in that situation before' - Lions GM explains controversial decision involving former Vols QB Hendon Hooker

The Detroit Lions made a surprising move late last season that impacted former Tennessee Vols quarterback Hendon Hooker.

Hooker, who was selected by the Lions in the third round of the 2023 NFL Draft, spent the majority of the 2024 season as the backup to starter Jared Goff.

However, just before the stat of the NFL playoffs, the Lions signed veteran quarterback Teddy Bridgewater out of retirement to replace Hooker as the team's No. 2 quarterback.

Bridgewater saw action in the Lions’ divisional-round playoff loss to the Washington Commanders after Goff was briefly sidelined for concussion testing.

The decision to go with Bridgewater as the backup in the playoffs appeared to send the message that Detroit didn’t have full confidence in Hooker.

That message was seemingly reinforced earlier this offseason when the Lions signed Kyle Allen to compete with Hooker for the No. 2 job this summer.

Lions general manager Brad Holmes joined 97.1 The Ticket on Tuesday, where he discussed Hooker’s role with the team and the decision to demote the former Vol before last season’s playoffs.

"He's getting better and better," said Holmes when asked about Hooker. "I thought he strung together a couple of good days these past [few] days. I know the Hall of Fame Game wasn't ideal. And look, I'm not trying to make an excuse for him at all -- because even he told you how he didn't like his performance. But it wasn't the perfect situation to be in, either.

"But he's going to get a chance to be in a better position. He'll start the (next preseason) game in Atlanta and kind of get in there with a lot of our twos, and just kind of see how he operates. The expectations are still high, just like I told everybody in the spring. He's getting better and better. And the thing with Teddy Bridgewater last year, I think you guys all know, it's just when you're in a playoff atmosphere, you know, Hendon has never been in that situation in the NFL before. So we were trying to do the best thing for the team. But we're trying to give him reps now to get him hopefully prepared to be ready for that."

Detroit's backup quarterback battle is still wide open. The opportunity is there for Hooker to run with the job -- and a great showing against the Atlanta Falcons on Friday night would certainly help his case.

By the way, Bridgewater signed with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers earlier this week. So if Hooker does end up winning the No. 2 quarterback job in Detroit, he may not have to worry about Bridgewater usurping him come playoff time.