Patriots Tight End Shares ‘Breaking News’ Before Titans Matchup

As of Thursday morning, the Patriots didn’t know who would be their Week 9 starting quarterback.

New England’s preferred choice would be Drake Maye, but it’s unclear if the rookie signal-caller will clear the NFL’s concussion protocol by Sunday. And if Maye can’t go, it will be either Jacoby Brissett or Hunter Henry behind center against the Tennessee Titans.

No, Henry won’t actually be a QB option for the Patriots in Nashville, but he did take a few snaps at Wednesday’s practice. And that led to fellow tight end Austin Hooper sharing some gameplay intel with the media Thursday.

“Yeah breaking news, Hunter’s gonna (play quarterback),” Hooper told reporters before breaking out in laughter, per NBC10’s Nicole Menner.

While Henry won’t have an opportunity to show off his arm at Nissan Stadium, he does figure to be a focus for whoever is leading the Patriots offense. The team captain left Week 8 leading New England in targets, catches, receiving yards and yards after the catch.

As for Hooper, he’ll be in familiar surroundings Sunday. The 30-year-old spent the 2022 season in Tennessee, where he caught 41 passes for 444 yards with a pair of touchdowns.

The pair of AFC cellar dwellers are slated to kick off their clash at 1 p.m. ET.