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3 Teams That Can Afford to Sign Austin Hooper

By Jason Schandl

Austin Hooper free agent destinations could depend on who has enough cap space to sign the tight end.
Austin Hooper free agent destinations could depend on who has enough cap space to sign the tight end. / Mark Brown/Getty Images
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Just one day after news dropped that the Atlanta Falcons are expected to let Austin Hooper test free agency, we've got some information on what the market for his services may look like.

A contract worth over $11 million per year for a tight end is no joke — there's not a single tight end in the NFL making that kind of money right now, and that annual salary would rank top-20 among wide receivers.

Anyone who wants to sign Hooper is going to need to have plenty of cap space to get a deal done. With that in mind, here are three teams that can afford to ink Hooper to that kind of a contract.

1. Miami Dolphins

Miami Dolphins head coach Brian Flores at a press conference.
Miami Dolphins head coach Brian Flores at a press conference. / Mark Brown/Getty Images

With the NFL's most cap space, the Miami Dolphins can be in the market on just about any free agent they want. They'll likely be drafting a top-end QB prospect in April, and they're going to want to provide that rookie with some weapons. Incumbent TE Mike Gesicki showed some flashes in 2019, catching 51 passes for 570 yards and 5 touchdowns, but given both he and Hooper played over 30 percent of their 2019 snaps in the slot, the pair could co-exist in Miami for years to come.

2. Buffalo Bills

Josh Allen drops back to pass against the Texans.
Josh Allen drops back to pass against the Texans. / Christian Petersen/Getty Images

The Buffalo Bills also had a young tight end show some promise in 2019, with Dawson Knox notching three 50-yard games. That's not the level of production that should have the Bills passing up a top player at the position, though. They're clearly interested in surrounding Josh Allen with weapons, drafting Devin Singletary in the third round and signing a top free agent WR in John Brown last offseason. That helped Allen improve his efficiency significantly, and his passer rating jumped from 67.9 as a rookie to 85.3 in 2019. Ranking No. 4 in the NFL in cap space, the Bills cold certainly afford to add another shiny toy for Allen to help bring this passing game to the next level.

3. Houston Texans

Deshaun Watson throws a pass against the Chiefs.
Deshaun Watson throws a pass against the Chiefs. / Peter G. Aiken/Getty Images

The Houston Texans also rank top 10 in cap space, sitting at No. 7. They looked to get their tight ends involved a bunch last year, with Jordan Akins and Darren Fells combining for 103 targets. Fells managed to score 7 touchdowns, but his 7.1 yards per target were tied for the second fewest among any Texans player with at least 30 targets, and neither one brings nearly the same receiving upside that Hooper does. Deshaun Watson already has a terrific receiving corps at his disposal, and adding one of the league's top pass-catching tight ends could really open things up for everyone involved. Good luck covering DeAndre Hopkins, Will Fuller and Austin Hooper at the same time.

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Jason Schandl is not a FanDuel employee. In addition to providing DFS gameplay advice, Jason Schandl also participates in DFS contests on FanDuel using his personal account, username Jaymun. While the strategies and player selections recommended in his articles are his personal views, he may deploy different strategies and player selections when entering contests with his personal account. The views expressed in their articles are the author's alone and do not necessarily reflect the views of FanDuel.