Who Should I Start? Austin Hooper or Tanner Hudson

Sunday, March 9, 8:57 PM

The New England Patriots are re-signing veteran tight end Austin Hooper to a one-year, $5 million deal with a max value of $7 million. Hooper, a two-time Pro Bowler, notched 45 receptions and 476 yards with New England a season ago, his highest marks since his 2021 stint with the Cleveland Browns. While he began the 2024 season cold, the 30-year-old picked it up over the back half -- racking up four catches in five of his last seven appearances as then-rookie signal-caller Drake Maye got acclimated to the NFL. The Stanford product played second fiddle to fellow tight end Hunter Henry last season and figures to do so again if his teammate stays healthy, as the latter out-paced the former handily in snaps (835-575) despite playing in one fewer contest. It's possible Hooper returns some TE2 value this upcoming season, but he's better off left to waivers until he proves otherwise.

Friday, March 7, 1:05 PM

The Cincinnati Bengals re-signed tight end Tanner Hudson to an undisclosed one-year deal on Friday, according to The 33rd Team's Ari Meirov. In his second year with the Bengals in 2024, Hudson regressed and had only 19 receptions on 23 targets for 154 yards and one touchdown in 11 games while Mike Gesicki was the team's third leading receiver behind wideouts Ja'Marr Chase and Tee Higgins. The 30-year-old missed six weeks with two knee injuries last year, which also didn't help his cause. However, if the Bengals fail to re-sign Mike Gesicki this offseason, Hudson could be primed to be the team's top pass-catching tight end in 2025. Without Gesicki around in 2023, Hudson had the best season of his career, but it only yielded 39 catches for 352 yards and one touchdown on 50 targets in 12 games (one start).