Titans sign Amani Hooker to multi-year contract extension

The Titans have locked up safety Amani Hooker with a three-year extension.

The Tennessee Titans announced on Friday that they have signed safety Amani Hooker to a multi-year contract extension.

According to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, it’s a three-year deal worth more than $33 million. Hooker gets $19.5 million in guaranteed money and a $10 million signing bonus.

This is a very fair deal for both sides, as the $11 million annual average is ranked 14th in the NFL at the position, per Over the Cap.

The Iowa product emerged as one of the better young safeties in the NFL in 2021, which was his first full season as a starter.

Hooker improved in coverage, limiting quarterbacks to a completion rate of 68.6 percent and a QB rating of 79.3 on passes thrown his way. He also had the third-highest grade among safeties, per Pro Football Focus, helping to make up an elite safety duo along with Kevin Byard.

Hooker is the first member of the Titans’ impressive 2019 draft class to get a second contract. Linebacker David Long and right guard Nate Davis are both in the final years of their rookie deal, and defensive lineman Jeffery Simmons has the fifth-year option in 2023.

At the very least, we expect Simmons to get locked up long term, but we could see the Titans signing all three to contract extensions at some point.

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Titans injury updates: Elijah Molden returns to practice, Amani Hooker among 4 sidelined

Titans CB Elijah Molden returned to practice on Saturday.

After missing a handful of practices and the first preseason game against the Baltimore Ravens with an unspecified leg injury, Tennessee Titans cornerback Elijah Molden returned to practice on Saturday.

Unfortunately, it wasn’t all good news on the injury front for the Titans, as cornerbacks Roger McCreary, Chris Jackson and Kristian Fulton, and safety Amani Hooker were all absent.

McCreary and Hooker have now missed multiple practices in a row, but it isn’t clear what either is dealing with. Neither suited up on Thursday night against the Ravens.

Jackson sustained an unspecified knee injury on Thursday night, forcing his early exit from the contest. It isn’t clear how serious his injury is, but the Titans did ink a cornerback in Deante Burton prior to practice.

As far as Fulton is concerned, there was no report of him suffering an injury in preseason Week 1, so this might simply be a maintenance day for him. Fulton played 16 snaps in Tennessee’s first exhibition game.

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Titans hoping to give Treylon Burks a look at punt returner

Treylon Burks might get a look as a punt returner during the preseason.

Securing a role as a wide receiver may not be the only thing 2022 first-round pick and wideout Treylon Burks has to focus on ahead of the upcoming season.

Titans head coach Mike Vrabel revealed on Thursday after practice that Burks, who had a strong showing on Day 1 of training camp, has been working on catching punts and hopes to give the rookie a look in the preseason.

The Arkansas product fielded 13 punts and 11 kickoffs during his time in college, averaging 10.3 and 20.5 yards per return, respectively, but 22 of those returns came in 2019.

In his final two years with the Razorbacks, Burks returned one punt in 2020 and one kick in 2021.

Along with Burks, wide receivers Kyle Philips, Mason Kinsey and Terry Godwin, who was signed on Thursday, are all getting looks.

While Burks would no doubt be an intriguing option as a returner, the Titans would be wise to avoid this situation at all costs.

Burks is the future for the Titans at the wide receiver position and they need him to make a big impact on offense now that A.J. Brown is gone. The team simply can’t risk him getting hurt on special teams.

Burks isn’t the only projected starter the Titans have considered as a punt returner this year.

During mandatory minicamp, special teams coach Craig Aukerman admitted the team is thinking about using safety Amani Hooker in the role. We believe that would be a bad idea, also.

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Dez Fitzpatrick, Caleb Farley among Titans’ offseason award winners

Three of the Titans’ offseason award winners have a lot to prove in 2022.

On Wednesday, Tennessee Titans head coach Mike Vrabel announced the six players who were chosen for the team’s annual offseason awards.

According to Vrabel, the criteria for winning the awards are based on “effort, consistency and improvement” during the offseason program.

On offense, the winners were right tackle Dillon Radunz, wide receiver Dez Fitzpatrick and fullback Tory Carter. On defense, it was cornerback Caleb Farley, safety Amani Hooker and defensive lineman DeMarcus Walker.

Radunz, Fitzpatrick and Farley are three of the players on the team with the most to prove this year, so this is a good sign for their progress.

Radunz is competing for the right tackle job, but figures to have a leg-up for the role over rookie Nicholas Petit-Frere. Even with that being the case, Radunz still has to prove he’s a worthy starter in this league.

Farley is about to embark on his first season as a full-time starter, but the jury is still very much out on the 2021 first-round pick, especially after suffering a torn ACL last season, which only added to already existing concerns about Farley’s ability to stay healthy.

Fitzpatrick just securing a spot on the 53-man roster would be a win for him after he failed to do so during his rookie campaign. But he also needs to make an impact if he does make the final cut, which he wasn’t able to accomplish in 2021 despite Tennessee having a slew of injuries.

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As for Carter and Hooker, their spots on the roster are already secure. Now, both will be focusing on improving after very good 2021 seasons.

Carter was a game-changer as a lead blocker in Tennessee’s offense, and Hooker emerged as one of the better players at his position, forming an elite duo with fellow safety Kevin Byard.

Meanwhile, Walker is someone to watch along the defensive line. We believe he’ll make the cut and will provide depth upfront, and he can play outside linebacker in a pinch if need be.

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10 highest-rated Iowa Hawkeyes in Madden NFL 23

Madden grades are a source of pride. Who are the top Iowa Hawkeyes in Madden 23? Here’s a look at the highest-rated Hawkeyes.

There’s a great deal of anger from internet sports fans. That means it must be Madden ratings reveal time! No matter how hard you resist the urge to fight it, you will care about the ratings the Madden devs give your favorite players. It’s just a fact.

It is like the great warning sign that football is here. Hawkeyes Wire already took a look at the top 25 highest-rated Madden NFL 23 players, but you’re probably wondering how the ratings look for the Hawkeyes specifically.

For Iowa, the Hawkeyes are one of the most represented schools in the NFL. There are quite a few stars from the Hawkeyes, but who is the best of the bunch? Here are the top 10 highest-rated Iowa Hawkeyes you can use in Madden NFL 23.

Titans training camp preview: Backing up an elite safety duo

A closer look at the safety position for the Titans ahead of training camp.

In our latest installment of training camp previews for the Tennessee Titans ahead of training camp, which begins on July 27, we’re taking a closer look at the safety position.

Tennessee enjoyed great success from their starting safeties in 2021, as Kevin Byard returned to his elite form after a shaky 2020 campaign, and Amani Hooker made a big leap in his first full season as a starter.

But not only did the pair play well, they were among the best safety duos in the NFL in 2021, as evidenced by their earning two of the top-five overall Pro Football Focus grades at the position in 2021.

Recently, Byard was ranked as the No. 1 coverage free safety by PFF, and Hooker the No. 6 all-around safety. Also, NFL.com’s Bucky Brooks gave Tennessee’s duo the label of the second-best safety tandem in the league.

While Tennessee is set at the top of the depth chart, the team still has some things to figure out behind Byard and Hooker. We take a closer look at that and more in our training camp preview for the safeties.

Titans’ 2019 draft class ranked among best since 2006

The Titans’ 2019 draft class was ranked rightly as one of the best of the PFF era.

When you talk about the career highlights of Tennessee Titans general manager Jon Robinson, the 2019 NFL draft class is right at the top.

In that class, Robinson landed defensive lineman Jeffery Simmons, wide receiver A.J. Brown, right guard Nate Davis, safety Amani Hooker, and linebacker David Long, all of whom have turned into starters.

Simmons has become one of the best defensive linemen in the NFL, Long and Hooker are coming off career years and are emerging as two of the better players at their respective positions, and Davis has been mostly solid upfront.

Of course, only Brown is no longer with the team after being traded to the Philadelphia Eagles during the 2022 NFL draft, but he has emerged as one of the most exciting young receivers in the league and boasts elite skills.

In a recent list ranking the best draft classes of the Pro Football Focus era (since 2006), Michael Renner placed Tennessee’s 2019 group as the sixth-best. Here’s what he had to say:

This was general manager Jon Robinson’s version of when Josh Hamilton hit four home runs and a double in one game. There’s only one player in the Titans 2019 class you’d even want a slight do-over on, and that’s obviously D’Andre Walker. Jeffrey Simmons, A.J. Brown and Amani Hooker all graded out as top-10 starters at their respective positions in 2021, while Nate Davis and David Long graded out above-average. Sadly, Tennessee is a man down from the class heading into 2022 after the A.J. Brown trade, but it doesn’t change how ridiculous this haul was.

Tennessee’s 2016 draft class featuring All-Pros like right tackle Jack Conklin, running back Derrick Henry and safety Kevin Byard was also mentioned by Renner but didn’t make the rankings.

If not for the disappointment that was D’Andre Walker, Robinson would have been a perfect six-for-six with that 2019 class. Still, five out of six isn’t bad.

As much as the Titans have enjoyed the five aforementioned players during their cheap rookie contracts, the time to pay up is rapidly approaching.

Hooker, Long and Davis are all free agents in 2023. Simmons, on the other hand, won’t hit free agency until 2024 but the Titans would be wise to lock him up with a massive extension as soon as possible.

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Titans’ Amani Hooker confirms contract extension talks

It was reported late last month that Hooker and the Titans were talking contract extension.

Late last month, Terry McMormick of Titan Insider reported that safety Amani Hooker and the Tennessee Titans were having “preliminary conversations” about a contract extension.

Well, Hooker has since confirmed that is indeed the case to Broadway Sports’ Justin Melo, who also notes the talks are ongoing but there is no pressure to get a deal done immediately.

A 2019 fourth-round pick of the Titans, Hooker had his best season as a pro in 2021 and is emerging as one of the better safeties in the NFL going into a contract year.

Hooker improved his completion rate allowed and passer rating against in his third season, and he finished with the No. 3 overall Pro Football Focus grade among safeties, finishing two spots behind his running mate, Kevin Byard.

Hooker won’t be receiving a top-of-the-market deal, but he should net a nice chunk of change. We’d estimate a multi-year deal that pays him upwards of $10 million per season, which would put him just outside the top 10 of the highest-paid safeties in the NFL.

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6 Titans who could be first-time Pro Bowlers in 2022

Which Titans have a good shot to be first-time Pro Bowlers in 2022?

The good folks over at NFL.com recently named one player from each team who could garner their first Pro Bowl nod in 2022, which got us thinking about what other Tennessee Titans could nab their first.

In the aforementioned article, NFL.com’s Nick Shook chose veteran wideout Robert Woods. Here’s what Shook said regarding Woods’ Pro Bowl chances:

Bobby Trees has often played the unglamorous but essential role of second fiddle in his NFL career. However, after the departures of A.J. Brown and Julio Jones, the Titans are going to need Woods to play a major part in their passing offense — at least initially. First-round pick Treylon Burks arrives with great expectations, but it’s unfair to expect him to make a significant impact right away. That’s why Woods will be very important to Tennessee in 2022 as he makes his return from an ACL tear. If the Titans can once again win the AFC South, Woods should end up getting much-deserved praise. Posting 1,000 yards for the third time in his career would enter him in the Pro Bowl conversation, but receiver — like quarterback — is a tough position group to crack. It might take a career year, and at 30 years old, this is Woods’ best remaining chance.

While Woods is certainly a good choice, we disagree that he was the top one from Tennessee’s roster, which led us here. Let’s take a look at six Titans we believe have at least a decent shot to earn Pro Bowl honors for the first time in 2022.

Titans’ Kevin Byard, Amani Hooker ranked as elite safety duo by NFL.com

The Titans’ pairing of Amani Hooker and Kevin Byard were ranked as one of the best duos at safety in the NFL.

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In a list ranking the top duos at every position in the NFL, the Tennessee Titans’ safety duo was ranked as one of the best.

According to Bucky Brooks of NFL.com, the pairing of safeties Kevin Byard and Amani Hooker were ranked as the second-best in the league, trailing only Buffalo Bills safeties Micah Hyde and Jordan Poyer.

Byard enjoyed a bounce-back year in 2021 after a down campaign in 2020. In fact, he was voted a First-Team All-Pro and Pro Bowler for the second time in his career, and was even in the Defensive Player of the Year conversation at one point.

As for Hooker, he took big strides in his third season, which was also his first as a full-time starter. The Iowa product improved both his completion rate against (82.6 to 68.6) and passer rating allowed (83.2 to 79.3).

Also, according to Pro Football Focus, Hooker (No. 3) and Byard (No. 1) were both graded as top-five safeties.

This is the second time we’ve seen Hooker and Byard getting some love this offseason, as Pro Football Focus ranked Byard as the No. 1 “coverage free safety” and Hooker as the No. 6 “all-around safety.”

The 2022 campaign will be a big one for Hooker, who is entering the final year of his rookie contract. If he can continue on his upward trajectory, Hooker will get paid handsomely in 2023.

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