Hendon Hooker
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NFL Network's Mike Garafolo reported the Detroit Lions have waived former third-round quarterback Hendon Hooker.
The Hendon Hooker era with the Detroit Lions is finished.
NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo reported Monday the Lions have waived the former third-round quarterback. The move comes with Detroit trying to narrow its roster down to 53 players ahead of the league’s roster deadline at 4 pm ET Tuesday.
The #Lions are releasing QB Hendon Hooker, sources say. Dan Campbell suggested the other day the 2023 third-round pick could use a change of scenery and he’ll have the chance to do so now. pic.twitter.com/6H2CbRPOZm
— Mike Garafolo (@MikeGarafolo) August 25, 2025
The Lions moved on from Hooker two days after his Week 3 preseason appearance Saturday. Hooker completed six of 11 passes for 70 yards with no touchdowns and an interception versus the Houston Texans.
NFL pundits project Jared Goff and Kyle Allen to be the team’s top two quarterbacks to begin the season. With the release of Hooker, the Lions will likely not have a third signal-caller on the 53-man roster to start the campaign.
After the preseason finale Saturday, Lions head coach Dan Campbell expressed the possibility of Detroit moving on from Hooker.
“Look, I wish Hooker, and I know he does, would have had a little bit better outing,” said Campbell.
“But it’s also, you’ve got to take it with a grain of salt. It’s not like he was playing with our first O-line out there or first-team skilled positions, all of that. You take all of that into account as well. I thought he was prepared. I thought he was ready. He looked pretty calm. Just circumstances didn’t work out today.”
The Lions drafted Hooker in the third round of the 2023 NFL Draft. He made three appearances for the team during the 2024 season.