The NFL team that former Tennessee Vols QB Hendon Hooker should hope he's traded to this offseason

Former Tennessee Vols quarterback Hendon Hooker, the 2022 SEC offensive player of the year, is entering his third season in the NFL. 

And he's attempted a grand total of nine passes. 

Hooker, a third round selection by the Detroit Lions in the 2023 NFL Draft, turned 27 years old in January. It's unlikely that he's going to receive an opportunity in Detroit to earn a key role (the Lions don't seem to even like Hooker as a backup option to starter Jared Goff). 

Essentially, Hooker is in quarterback purgatory in Detroit. Which is why he should hope like hell that he's traded this offseason. 

Whether or not a trade actually transpires is anyone's guess. The Lions aren't in a position where they need to trade Hooker. And I doubt anyone is going to blow them away with an offer for a unproven third-year quarterback who's barely played in the NFL. 

NFL transactions, however, are as unpredictable as ever. So you never know what might be getting cooked up behind the scenes. 

If Hooker ends up getting traded this offseason, he should pray that it's to the New Orleans Saints, a franchise with a very unsettled quarterback situation. 

At this point in his career, Hooker is just looking for an opportunity to earn a job (an opportunity that clearly doesn't exist with the Lions). And the Saints, due to quarterback Derek Carr's recent decision to retire, would present that opportunity. 

New Orleans is set to have a summer quarterback battle between Tyler Shough, Spencer Rattler, and Jake Haener -- three quarterbacks who are far from "sure things" in the NFL. 

That's a job that Hooker could potentially win if given the opportunity. In fact, giving the job to Hooker could be an ideal scenario for the Saints. It would give Shough, a second round pick in the 2025 NFL Draft, some time to develop before eventually earning the starting job. And it would give Hooker the chance to put some meaningful work on film ahead of his free agency (which is set for after the 2026 NFL season). 

I have no idea how effective Hooker can be as an NFL quarterback. I don't think anyone knows because he hasn't had a chance to play. 

We saw at Tennessee, though, that Hooker is a bit of a "gamer". He didn't win the starting quarterback job in 2021 after getting outplayed by Joe Milton during fall camp. But Hooker quickly proved to be the Vols' best option on game days. 

I doubt Hooker actually gets traded this offseason. But he should be hoping that New Orleans comes out of nowhere and rescues him from Detroit. At best, Hooker could win the job with the Saints. At worst, it could open up a path for the former Vol to land with another franchise where he could legitimately compete for the backup quarterback job, instead of getting buried on the Lions' depth chart.