The Patriots signed the veteran tight end to a one-year deal.
Ahead of the start of NFL free agency, the Pats Pulpit staff got together to rank the New England Patriots’ free agents according to their perceived importance to the team’s success in 2025. Sitting in the top spot was tight end Austin Hooper, and it seems that the Patriots’ decision makers share that opinion.
Hooper is one of only two unrestricted free agents re-signed by the team so far, joining safety Jaylinn Hawkins, and the one to sign the biggest deal among them. As a closer look at that pact shows, it seems the Patriots are expecting big things out of the 30-year-old this fall.
TE Austin Hooper: Contract details
2025:
Base salary: $2,000,000
Signing bonus: $2,000,000
Roster bonus: $850,000
Workout bonus: $150,000
Incentives: $2,000,000
Salary cap hit: $5,000,000
Compared to other tight ends around the league or the rest of the Patriots’ current roster overall, Hooper’s deal does not particularly stand out. His $5 million cap number is ranked 24th and 16th in those two respective groups, meaning that he can best be classified as a middle class player.
That being said, the structure gives us definitive clues about how New England feels about Hooper and his potential role in what will be a new-look offense coordinated by Josh McDaniels: the team is expecting big things after he caught 45 passes for 476 yards and 3 touchdowns in his first year in Foxboro.
Not only did the Patriots give Hooper a $2 million signing bonus, it also guaranteed his $2 million salary in full. In addition to those combined $4 million in guarantees, Hooper also can earn up to $2 million in incentives — increasing his potential cash intake to $7 million.
It remains to be seen how much of that maximum sum will be his by the end of the season, but even the contract’s base value suggests the Patriots feel comfortable about where Hooper is at heading into 2025.