Voicing frustration with Browns, TE Austin Hooper explains why he joined Tennessee Titans

A Tennessee Titans reserve player played a key role in Austin Hooper’s decision to come to Nashville.

Hooper said a conversation with Titans backup quarterback Kevin Hogan, who was on Tennessee’s practice squad last season, sold him on joining the team as a free agent.

Hogan was his college quarterback and a close friend at Stanford, where they were teammates for two seasons.

“I called Kevin, talked to him for about a half hour,” Hooper said Monday. “Once he kind of laid it all out, I didn’t really need to ask anymore questions, you know what I mean? I have a buddy who’s in there and who’s telling me about the day to day, how they go about their business, how they handle certain situations. All those situations were answered by Kevin. I’ve watched the team from afar for years, so I know on some level what they’re trying to accomplish, but just talking to Kevin put everything at ease for me.

“Just hearing what he had to say about the culture, about coach (Mike) Vrabel, about (general manager) Jon Robinson,” Hooper added. “Just understanding the men they are, how they lead, how they go about their business. It’s just in line with a lot of the values that I wanted to experience in this part of my career. So it was an easy decision for me once an offer was presented, talking to Kevin.”

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Hooper said Hogan also told him Vrabel will “shoot you straight,” a quality he appreciates.

“That’s all you really want,” Hooper said. “He'll tell you when it’s good, tell you when it’s bad and everywhere in between. As a man, I appreciate that. I’d rather know where I stand then you smile in my face and stab me in the back. Not saying anyone in the past has done that, not trying to get a soundbite. … I’m just saying I appreciate that style of business.”

The new Titans tight end acknowledged there was some frustration in his time with the Browns, who released him last week just two seasons into a four-year, $42 million deal. But he accepted his role, which he explained was serving as primarily a run blocker and splitting reps with other tight ends. Hooper posted 94 receptions for 780 yards and seven touchdowns in 29 games with the Browns, posting back-to-back career lows in catch percentage (65.7% in 2020; 62.3% in 2021).

He joins Tennessee as its projected No. 1 tight end. A 2016 third-round pick, Hooper began his NFL career with the Falcons, making two Pro Bowl in four seasons. He had 214 receptions for 2,244 yards and 16 touchdowns in 59 games with Atlanta.

The new Titans tight end acknowledged there was some frustration in his time with the Browns, who released him last week just two seasons into a four-year, $42 million deal. But he accepted his role, which he explained was serving as primarily a run blocker and splitting reps with other tight ends. Hooper posted 94 receptions for 780 yards and seven touchdowns in 29 games with the Browns, posting back-to-back career lows in catch percentage (65.7% in 2020; 62.3% in 2021).

He joins Tennessee as its projected No. 1 tight end. A 2016 third-round pick, Hooper began his NFL career with the Falcons, making two Pro Bowl in four seasons. He had 214 receptions for 2,244 yards and 16 touchdowns in 59 games with Atlanta.

This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: After Browns frustration, Austin Hooper explains why he joined Titans