With the Jacksonville Jaguars’ pressing need at tight end, many fans have turned their attention to some of the names who could be free agents at the position come March. A name that has undoubtedly come up as the top potential free agent tight end is Austin Hooper of the Atlanta Falcons. Hooper has been very productive at the position, garnering 1,447 receiving yards and 10 touchdowns over the last two seasons.
CBS Sports cap specialist and former sports agent Joel Corry recently discussed what Hooper could be looking for with ESPN, and as expected, it looks like the price will set the market.
“Let’s say like $44 million over four years, and totally guarantee the first two years at $26.5 million,” said Corry. “The player would probably want a three-year deal. Hooper is 25 years old. His best football is ahead of him. If he can put himself [in position] for a contract extension after playing two years when he’s still in his prime, that would be preferable to him.”
The Jags have been in a position where they’ve paid a tight end high-end money before. In 2015, Julius Thomas was given a five-year, $46 million contract guaranteeing $24 million. However, they had ample cap space then and could be working with less this year.
When the Jags cut their cap casualties they could have roughly $36 million to $45 million available in cap space, so the closer they are to the latter the more feasible taking on a contract like Hooper’s will be. However, Dave Caldwell hinted at not necessarily looking for market-setters, so fans shouldn’t be shocked if they look for a cheaper option than Hooper.
“I think this could be a quick flip,” Caldwell said about a turnaround. “I think if we make wise choices in free agency, and it might not be market-setters, but wise choices, then we’ll follow it up with a good draft. We have all the way up until the beginning of September to have the roster set so it’s going to be a fluid thing, but we have to make the right choices all the way up to the trade deadline and in the middle of [the regular season].”
If the Jags go with a tight end in free agency, it could be someone who would be within the tier below Hooper, like Indianapolis Colts tight end Eric Ebron or Los Angeles Chargers tight end Hunter Henry. Both have had issues staying healthy in the past, but Ebron in particular is a talented player the Jags are familiar with due to his time in the AFC South.
Per Spotrac, Ebron’s market value is set for a four-year deal worth about $30 million total. Those figures are similar to those of Los Angeles Rams tight end Tyler Higbee, who signed a four-year, $29 million contract guaranteeing $15.5 million last September.
Meanwhile, Henry’s market value is set for a four-year deal worth about $35.6 million. I’d estimate he’d want half of the total contract guaranteed, so in this case he’ll potentially be looking for a projected guaranteed total of about $16 million.
Either of the two contracts would be more friendly for the Jags, so it feels more likely that they will shy away from Hooper, who could start a bidding war if the Falcons don’t retain him. However, if the Jags wanted to land him, they could attempt to sign him on a deal which registers a low cap hit in 2020.