3 Patriots That Must Be Re-Signed Immediately This Offseason

3. Austin Hooper, Tight End

The 2024 offseason was mostly about bringing back players that were already on the roster and taking care of your own. The Patriots didn't have a huge external spending spree after trying and failing to sign free-agent receiver Calvin Ridley. However, they made one shrewd acquisition that paid dividends over the course of the year for rookie QB Drake Maye.

That shrewd acquisition was veteran tight end Austin Hooper, who might be able to parlay his deal this past year with the Patriots into a bigger contract elsewhere, not to mention a potentially expanded role with Hunter Henry still on New England's roster.

From a statistical perspective, a little more volume might have had Hooper challenging the Pro Bowl numbers he put up back in the day when he was with the Atlanta Falcons. Is the veteran tight end getting better with age? He caught 45 passes for 476 yards and three touchdowns on the season and became a reliable target for Maye.

Also, Hooper is a pretty productive all-around tight end and can be trusted in the running game as a blocker.

If you're the New England Patriots, I think you're trying to keep that duo of Austin Hooper and Hunter Henry together while upgrading at the wide receiver spot somehow. Tee Higgins? Or maybe Travis Hunter near the top of the 2025 NFL Draft?

One way or the other, it doesn't look like the Patriots will need to look far for a productive TE2 and someone who can be an asset in the running game.

You need veteran floor raisers like this on your roster with a young quarterback and Hooper isn't going to need to be any sort of specific scheme fit. Bringing him back should be on the table.

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