![\"Detroit](\"https:\/\/images2.minutemediacdn.com\/image\/upload\/c_crop,x_0,y_101,w_3217,h_1809\/c_fill,w_720,ar_16:9,f_auto,q_auto,g_auto\/images\/ImagnImages\/mmsport\/196\/01k1h3md0zyy64s1q2fy.jpg\")
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The Detroit Lions might be staring down a crossroads at quarterback.<\/p>\n
Jared Goff is locked in. He signed a four-year, $212 million extension this offseason, and if things go as planned, he\u2019ll continue putting up big numbers while leading Detroit deep into the playoffs.<\/p>\n
But things get murky behind him in a hurry.<\/p>\n
The Lions used a third-round pick in 2023 on Hendon Hooker, the former Tennessee standout who was a Heisman contender before tearing his ACL late in his final college season. Detroit knew he\u2019d need time to recover, and they were more than willing to be patient.<\/p>\n
That patience, though, has an expiration date\u2014and it\u2019s fast approaching.<\/p>\n
Hooker spent his entire rookie season rehabbing. He finally got into three games in 2024 but threw just nine passes total. Heading into the 2025 season, the Lions need to see real development. They need to know if Hooker can actually be Goff\u2019s backup\u2014or maybe more down the line.<\/p>\n
To test that, Detroit brought in veteran Kyle Allen this offseason to compete for the QB2 job. Allen isn\u2019t flashy. He\u2019s a journeyman who\u2019s bounced from Carolina to Washington to Houston to Buffalo and, most recently, Pittsburgh. Now on his sixth team, he\u2019s trying to prove he can stick.<\/p>\n
In 19 career starts, Allen has completed 62.7 percent of his passes for 4,753 yards, 26 touchdowns, and 21 interceptions. The numbers don\u2019t wow you, but he knows how to move the ball and take risks\u2014sometimes too many. He\u2019s more gunslinger than game manager.<\/p>\n
What raised eyebrows was Allen getting the start over Hooker in Detroit\u2019s Hall of Fame preseason game against the Chargers. Goff sat, as expected\u2014but instead of handing the reins to Hooker, the Lions rolled with Allen.<\/p>\n
That\u2019s not nothing.<\/p>\n
This was supposed to be Hooker\u2019s job to lose. Apparently, he\u2019s either lost it\u2014or he\u2019s dangerously close.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s still early in the preseason, but the signs aren\u2019t encouraging for Hooker. The Lions aren\u2019t known for giving up on draft picks quickly, especially quarterbacks taken in the third round. But if they feel he hasn\u2019t developed as expected, it\u2019s not out of the question.<\/p>\n
Hooker still has the raw talent. He\u2019s mobile, has a strong arm, and flashed playmaking upside in college. But it\u2019s the mental part of the game\u2014reading defenses, making quick decisions, mastering an NFL playbook\u2014that he needs to conquer.<\/p>\n
The Lions would love for Hooker to step up and seize the backup job. But if he doesn\u2019t start closing the gap\u2014and fast\u2014this could be his last shot at sticking around in Detroit.<\/p>\n
The Detroit Lions might be staring down a crossroads at quarterback. Jared Goff is locked in. He signed a four-year, $212 million extension this offseason, and<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":29538,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-29537","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-detroit-lions"],"yoast_head":"\n