Raiders' TE Hooper on Being a Mentor as a Veteran

Las Vegas Raiders tight end Austin Hooper is a veteran now, and has the opportunity to pass knowledge down to young players like Michael Mayer.
Raiders' TE Hooper on Being a Mentor as a Veteran
Raiders' TE Hooper on Being a Mentor as a Veteran /
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The Las Vegas Raiders signed veteran tight end Austin Hooper to a one-year contract during free agency.

They also selected star Notre Dame tight end Michael Mayer in the second round of the 2023 NFL Draft as they spent the offseason reconstructing their tight end room.

Hooper, a 28-year-old entering his eighth NFL season, is listed as the Raiders’ starting tight end. Mayer expects to factor in heavily though, as Coach Josh McDaniels often runs two tight end sets.

Mayer enters his rookie season with high expectations, as he set records with the Fighting Irish and was viewed as one of the top tight end prospects in the draft class.

The veteran Hooper has an opportunity to guide Mayer and help him temper those expectations. Hooper addressed the media at training camp and spoke about offering advice and being a mentor.

“Yeah, I mean I feel like that’s just part of being a good teammate,” Hooper said. “It doesn’t matter what year you are, like I’m an open book. Without getting into names, I’ll just say, when I was a young player I wish some things were handled differently with me being a young tight end. So I said to myself, like if I make it that far down the road, like it’s never going to be a closed book. By all means I let Jerry coach, I mean it’s his room ultimately, but if there are little tidbits, little things that have helped me that can help him make the jump a little quicker, I definitely don’t hold any secrets, if that’s what you’re asking.”

Hooper alluded to the fact that he was not well mentored when he was a young tight end, so he wants to rectify that by being an open book for young players like Mayer.

Hooper is not the only veteran Raider who has said he is an open book, as cornerback Marcus Peters has echoed a similar sentiment. General Manager Dave Ziegler has done a good job of adding veteran players who can help and mentor young players at the same position.

Mayer has a lot of talent that he will show on the field, and he has a veteran in Hooper who can offer him advice about the ins and outs of the NFL off the field.

The Silver and Black open the preseason by hosting the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday, Aug. 13, at 4 p.m. EDT/1 p.m. PDT.

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Carter Landis
CARTER LANDIS

Carter Landis studied journalism at Michigan State University where I graduated in May of 2022. He currently is a sports reporter for a local television station, and is a writer covering the Las Vegas Raiders