Patriots Add Tight End, Reportedly Agree To Terms With Austin Hooper

The New England Patriots squared away an in-house priority when the team re-signed Hunter Henry to a three-year deal.

Now, Henry has a new partner in his position with the Patriots.

On Tuesday night, New England reportedly agreed to terms with tight end Austin Hooper on a one-year deal for $4.25 million, per NFL Insider Ian Rapoport.

Hooper joins Henry in a long-running tradition of solid tight end duos for the Patriots. He virtually replaces Mike Gesicki, who found a new home with the Cincinnati Bengals, at No. 2 on the depth chart at the position in New England.

The 29-year-old has tallied 25 career touchdowns across eight NFL seasons, most recently with the Las Vegas Raiders. Two of those seasons came with the Cleveland Browns, giving Hooper experience with Alex Van Pelt, who the Patriots hired this offseason as offensive coordinator under Jerod Mayo.

For those who remember, Hooper made a rather important play against the Patriots in the past, catching a touchdown pass from NFL MVP Matt Ryan with the Atlanta Falcons during Super Bowl LI. New England famously went on to win the game 34-28 in overtime after trailing by 25 points in the second half.

As the Patriots’ offense goes through a retooling, Van Pelt gets a capable pass-catcher for a solid two-tight end look in New England.