‘Hooker in the 3rd’ Is Vikings Fans’ New Motto
Dustin Baker
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The Minnesota Vikings employ a franchise quarterback who seems to be heading toward the final year of his contract. The club had the opportunity to re-sign that man, Kirk Cousins, this offseason but instead pushed $28.5 million of his contract into future years when he’s not scheduled to be on the team. Yes, they “kicked the can down the road.”
What does this mean? Well, general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah could be plotting the Cousins’ afterlife as early as now.
‘Hooker in the 3rd’ Is Vikings Fans’ New Motto
And because the Vikings don’t own a premium draft pick — they pick 23rd — in five weeks to select a Stroud, Young, Levis, or Richardson, fans of the team have a popular new motto — “Hooker in the 3rd.”
He’s Hendon Hooker, the quarterback from Tennesee Volunteers fame. He doesn’t currently own 1st-Round draft stock because a) He’s old for a rookie QB b) He’s recovering from an ACL tear. Neither item commands 1st-Round draft attention, for better or worse.
Well, the Vikings might be quarterback shopping in April, so Hooker’s high upside, married with non-1st-Round draft capital, brought “Hooker in the 3rd” to life. The 25-year-old is the compromise pick among Vikings fans to lead the charge when Cousins is jettisoned.
Let’s put some roster housekeeping to bed. Cousins will be the Vikings QB1 in 2023, barring some unforeseen trade involving Lamar Jackson to the Vikings, a speculation that kicked up dust over the weekend thanks to ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler. If Jackson-to-Vikings rumors fade, it’s Cousins in the QB1 saddle for a sixth consecutive season.
But after that — so, the 2024 season — there’s nobody under contract at quarterback for the Vikings outside of Nick Mullens. Mr. Mullens is not the Vikings plan for the future.
Hooker is a snazzy idea because Adofo-Mensah won’t have to trade oodles of draft capital for him as he would for Stroud, Young, Levis, or Richardson. Trading into the Top 10 for one of the Big 4 would require multiple 1st-Round picks, plus some mid-round deal sweetener. Fans are hesitant, on the whole, to surrender that, and that means folks’ index fingers settle on Hooker when scouting “the other guys” in the 2023 QB draft class.
The Draft Network’s Jaime Eisner tweeted odds last week for Hooker’s draft team, and the Vikings were fourth on the list. Here’s the Vegas lay of the land for Hooker odds:
- Bucs (11/1)
- Raiders (12/1)
- Titans (12/1)
- Vikings (16/1)
- Giants (16/1)
- Cowboys (16/1)
- Ravens (16/1)
- Seahawks (16/1)
- Packers (16/1)
- Lions (16/1)
- Broncos (20/1)
- Falcons (20/1)
- Colts (20/1)
- Commanders (20/1)
- Jets (20/1)
This means “Hooker in the 3rd” isn’t a cockamamie idea. It could happen — if Adofo-Mensah is content with an old, injury-prone prospect. Oddsmakers don’t throw chum in the water for kicks. Hooker can reasonably land with the Vikings in 5.5 weeks.
Hooker tore his ACL four months ago and may not be ready for any team in 2023. That doesn’t exactly send NFL executives his way early in the draft. Plus, by the time Hooker is available for the Vikings or any team in 2024, he’ll be 26 — and 27 if he reaches the postseason tournament that season.
But there is upside. If he were 21 with good knees, he’d fly off the board in Round 1. Book it. Yet, he isn’t, and that’s the problem.
We asked Vikings fans on social media about their 2023 draft preference at QB, and “Hooker in the 3rd” was a common sentiment. @PurplePain17 replied, “I kind of like Hendon Hooker. Seems to have only fallen because of injury but would sit the first year anyway.”
“Hooker if he makes it to the 3rd round,” Jens Hansen commented. Ryan Briggs opined, “Hooker in the third if he is there.”
Twitter user Edman declared, “I have a feeling it’s gonna end up being Hooker in the 3rd.”
And last weekend, VikingsTerritory’s own Janik Eckardt predicted Hooker, too, “The Vikings will choose Cousins’ successor on Day No.2 of the draft and pick Hendon Hooker out of Tennessee.”
“In his last couple of college seasons, Hooker passed for 58 touchdowns and only 5 interceptions. He adds the athleticism that Cousins lacks and has over 2,000 rushing yards and 25 career rushing touchdowns,” Eckardt concluded.
Get the t-shirts printed: Hooker in the 3rd.
Dustin Baker is a political scientist who graduated from the University of Minnesota in 2007. Subscribe to his daily YouTube Channel, VikesNow. He hosts a podcast with Bryant McKinnie, which airs every Wednesday with Raun Sawh and Sal Spice. His Vikings obsession dates back to 1996. Listed guilty pleasures: Peanut Butter Ice Cream, ‘The Sopranos,’ and The Doors (the band).
All statistics provided by Pro Football Reference / Stathead; all contractual information provided by OverTheCap.com.
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