The Detroit Lions will look to make some moves in free agency this offseason, as the franchise is set to have around $46 million in cap space and have a few needs that must be addressed.

Though Detroit’s cap situation isn’t awful, general manager Brad Holmes should look to save some money and gain additional cap room. One way to do that is by cutting players on unfavorable contracts.

The Lions don’t have many obvious cut candidates, but ESPN’s Bill Barnwell believes the team should consider moving on from quarterback Hendon Hooker.

“The Lions don’t have anybody playing meaningful snaps who sticks out as a likely cap casualty,” Barnwell wrote. “One potential candidate is the 27-year-old Hooker, who has thrown nine passes in two years. It seems telling that the Lions signed a quasi-retired Bridgewater at the end of the season and quickly pushed him ahead of Hooker on the depth chart, a move which ended up mattering when Jared Goff briefly left the playoff loss to the Commanders.”

“Hooker is owed only $1.3 million in unguaranteed money in 2025, but he’s too inexperienced to be a reliable backup and too old to be a quarterback of the future, especially after Goff signed an extension last May,” Barnwell added.

Hooker was drafted by Detroit in the third round of the 2023 NFL Draft, but the 27-year-old missed most of his rookie season due to a torn ACL suffered during his senior season at Tennessee.

The 2022 SEC Offensive Player of the Year appeared in three games in 2024 and completed six of nine passes for 69 yards. 

Hooker was demoted to QB3 on the depth chart late in the regular season and in the postseason after the Lions signed Teddy Bridgewater on Dec.26. Bridgewater came out of retirement after coaching his alma mater, Miami Northwestern Senior High School, to a high school state championship.

Though Hooker hasn’t seen the field much in his first two years and will likely never develop into a starting-level signal-caller, Detroit doesn’t save much money by cutting him and would also have to eat some dead cap in the process.

Though the Lions should look to find someone with more experience to serve as the QB2 behind Jared Goff next year, keeping Hooker on the roster in 2025 would be a wise move from Brad Holmes. Detroit barely saves any cash by releasing him, and the former Volunteer brings some mobility and continuity to the quarterback room.

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