Tight End Austin Hooper on Joining the Raiders

New Las Vegas Raiders tight end Austin Hooper discussed his decision to join the Silver and Black and the benefits of having a loaded offense.

The Las Vegas Raiders have a new star tight end in Austin Hooper, who will take over the responsibilities of Darren Waller and Foster Moreau.

Hooper was one of the top tight end free agents this offseason. The Pro Bowler discussed why he decided Las Vegas would be his next destination when he joined Thursday's edition of The Jim Rome Show.

"It came as the best opportunity for me available, and with that said, growing up in the Bay Area, being a Bay Area kid growing up watching the Raiders, once I got that opportunity, it made it really easy for me," Hooper said.

The signing of Jimmy Garoppolo, of course, played a factor in Hooper's decision as well.

"Jimmy has a good track record of being a good player in his sleep, being an accurate passer, loves throwing between the numbers, finding his tight ends, and just has a track record of success," Hooper said. "So once Jimmy came into the fold along with Davante [Adams] and the other great pieces that are already on that offense, it just made it really easy for me to kind of just get in the fold and get in where I fit in."

Hooper joins a stacked offense that contains weapons in both the running and passing game, including arguably the best wide receiver in the league in Adams.

"When you have him [Adams], Hunter Renfrow, they just signed Jakobi Meyers, the leading rusher in the league in the backfield [Josh Jacobs], so I mean, it makes your life a lot easier, right?" Hooper said. "You're looking at getting the third to fourth best man-to-man cover player; you know what I mean? So I mean, it just gives you an opportunity to get an ideal match-up than if you don't have a superstar like that outside the numbers.

"I mean, I was a beneficiary of that early in my career with Julio Jones, and Davante brings that same kind of changing-of-the-math ability where there has to be two accounted for him and just dictates coverage where safeties can't hold coverage as long, at least not until the snap. They have to kind of dictate what they got to do, because if they don't, they leave them one on one, you've got to show them how you're the best in the world."

The 2023 NFL Draft will go from April 27-29 and be held at Union Station in Kansas City, Mo. The 2023 NFL Year and Free Agency period began at 4 p.m. EDT on March 15.

The Raiders are expected to be significant players in the free-agent market this offseason.

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