Who Should I Start? Austin Hooper or Tucker Kraft

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.

Monday, January 27, 7:28 PM

Based on Green Bay Packers head coach Matt LaFleur's comments at the end of the regular season, tight end Tucker Kraft and the rest of the team's TEs could see more involvement on offense in 2025. "I think that's on us to make sure we find him and feature him because when he gets the ball in his hands, you feel him," LaFleur said. "So if there's an area that we gotta do a better job on, I would say featuring the tight end." Musgrave only played in seven games due to injury, while Ben Sims and John FitzPatrick aren't traditional pass-catching TEs. Kraft, 24, broke out in his second season with 50 catches on 70 targets for 707 yards and seven touchdowns. Even if Musgrave is a bigger part of the passing offense in 2025, Kraft could have an even bigger role as Green Bay looks to replace targets lost to receiver Christian Watson's (knee) torn ACL.