Who Should I Start? Austin Hooper or Pharaoh Brown

Wednesday, March 13, 12:18 AM

Las Vegas Raiders free-agent tight end Austin Hooper is expected to sign a one-year deal worth up to $4.25 million with the New England Patriots on Wednesday. The veteran tight end will reunite with new Patriots offensive coordinator Alex Van Pelt, who was with Hooper with the Cleveland Browns. Hooper made the Pro Bowl two straight years from 2018-19 while with the Atlanta Falcons, but he hasn't been nearly as involved as he was then in the last four seasons with the Browns, Titans and Raiders. In 17 games (nine starts) last year in Vegas, the 29-year-old caught just 25 of 31 targets for 234 yards and no touchdowns. With both Mike Gesicki and Pharaoh Brown now gone, Hooper figures to serve as New England's No. 2 TE behind Hunter Henry in 2024. Unless Henry gets hurt, Hooper is unlikely to have a significant enough role to warrant fantasy consideration in standard-sized leagues.

Wednesday, March 13, 12:24 AM

Free-agent tight end Pharaoh Brown is signing a one-year, $3.2 million base-value deal with the Seattle Seahawks this week, according to a source. Brown can make a maximum of $3.9 million on incentives. He will give quarterback Geno Smith another veteran option in the passing game in 2024 after catching 15 passes for a career-high 208 yards and one touchdown in 17 games (11 starts) with the New England Patriots last season. The 29-year-old has just 64 receptions (88 targets) for 686 yards and three touchdowns in his six years in the NFL, so nobody is expecting Brown to become a very big part of Seattle's passing attack in 2024, especially while he plays second fiddle to primary pass-catching tight end Noah Fant. Brown had a career-high 23 receptions in 2021 with the Houston Texans.