Report: Bears, Redskins, Packers interested in Hooper
The Chicago Bears are planning to pursue Atlanta Falcons tight end Austin Hooper in free agency, a source told Jason Lieser of the Chicago Sun-Times.
The Washington Redskins also have a strong interest in signing the two-time Pro Bowler, a source told Vaughn McClure of ESPN.
Additionally, the Green Bay Packers are looking to upgrade their stable of pass-catchers and intend to make a run at Hooper, reports ESPN's Rob Demovsky.
Falcons general manager Thomas Dimitroff has indicated his team won't use the franchise tag on Hooper, who could join the Los Angeles Chargers' Hunter Henry atop the list of available tight ends.
The Bears made a heavy investment at tight end ahead of the 2018 season, signing Trey Burton to a four-year, $32-million contract. Burton, who's coming off an injury-plagued campaign, would carry a dead cap figure of $7.5 million if he's released.
"This offense - a lot of it goes through the tight end," Bears head coach Matt Nagy said. "We're exploring every avenue."
The Redskins are in need of offensive building blocks as they look to develop second-year quarterback Dwayne Haskins. They released injury-riddled Jordan Reed, a former Pro Bowl tight end, a week ago.
Chicago's reported pursuit of Hooper could be hindered by a lack of salary cap space, as the Bears are projected to have just $26 million available. The Redskins will be one of the more financially flexible teams in the NFL this offseason, possessing more than $60 million of cap room to work with.
The Packers would presumably cut Jimmy Graham in order to accommodate Hooper's salary. Green Bay has made two free-agent splashes at tight end over the last three years, but neither Martellus Bennett nor Graham put up big numbers after signing on.
Hooper has increased his receiving totals in every season with the Falcons. The 25-year-old produced 75 receptions for 787 yards and six touchdowns over 13 contests in 2019.
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