The San Francisco 49ers and New England Patriots could engage in a possible trade that would send tight end Austin Hooper to the 49ers at some point this season. According to Bleacher Report, they put together a list of “win-win” trade scenarios, and they believe the Patriots could send Hooper in exchange for defensive lineman Yetur Gross-Matos. However, this makes sense for the 49ers, who are looking for a temporary replacement while they will lose veteran George Kittle for a couple of games. It won’t be for the entire campaign, but Hooper would be another weapon that makes sense as an upgrade over backup Jake Tonges.
As for the Patriots, they did give up almost 400 yards in Week 1, but it’s still early in the season, and there could be plenty of adjustments from Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel. They have one of the deepest linebacker units, but it’s easy to understand why the 49ers would want to trade Gross-Matos since he’s projected to become a free agent this next offseason, just like Hooper. For the sake of this article, Hooper probably has more trade value in this situation since he has the most modest base salary in his current contract for a short-term rental for a team that needs to salvage their tight end group. While Hooper could be an efficient backup for Kittle when he returns, he might be better off joining these three other teams.
49ers, Patriots Austin Hooper Trade Predicted “Win-Win” Move? – 3 Potential Destinations Could Intervene
Other Potential Suitors
Washington Commanders
While the Washington Commanders are building an old-school roster to go on a fast, temporary run for a Super Bowl push, they must address the tight end situation at some point. Despite re-signing Zach Ertz to a one-year deal, the veteran could retire at any time each season, and the Commanders need to prepare when it comes to it. If the Patriots endure another losing season, they could trade Hooper to Washington to not only upgrade the depth of this tight end room but also give Ertz another solid contributor alongside him to get open in the aerial attack.
Ben Sinnnot is coming off his worst rookie campaign, and John Bates is more of a blocker than he is a pass-catcher, so Hooper could easily find his role in this offense led by quarterback Jayden Daniels.
Kansas City Chiefs
Meanwhile, the Kansas City Chiefs know they need more veteran talent on the offense as the younger they get. Even though Travis Kelce is one of the most generational tight ends in the league and will end up in the Hall of Fame one day, he’s past his prime and hasn’t looked the same. His engagement to Taylor Swift this past offseason means he is on the brink of hanging up his cleats sooner rather than later.
Hooper’s addition to this offense gives the Chiefs’ offense another reliable playmaker. Hooper should be able to provide more than expected later on in the season if they’re looking to pull off a trade this season before he hits the market next offseason.
Philadelphia Eagles
The Philadelphia Eagles are dealing with injury issues (again) with Dallas Goedert this season. He will miss the Super Bowl rematch against the Chiefs, while they will be forced to start an unproven Grant Calcaterra. If Goedert continues to trend downward, they should trade for Hooper to give Jalen Hurts another adequate offensive weapon other than AJ Brown and DeVonta Smith.
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