Tennessee Titans signing tight end Austin Hooper to one-year, $6 million deal | Source

The Tennessee Titans have landed their No. 1 tight end. 

The Titans are signing free-agent Austin Hooper to a one-year deal worth $6 million, a source with direct knowledge of the move confirmed to The Tennessean. The source spoke on the condition of anonymity, as the team has not made the announcement. 

Hooper, 27, gives the Titans a top-tier, dual-threat tight end -– what it had missed when Jonnu Smith departed in free agency for the Patriots last offseason. Tennessee employed a committee approach at tight end in 2021, with Geoff Swaim, Anthony Firkser and MyCole Pruitt sharing the majority of snaps. 

Hooper is coming off a down season, posting 38 catches for 345 yards and three touchdowns in 16 games with the Cleveland Browns. Cleveland released him earlier this week after two seasons with the team. He'd signed a four-year deal worth $42 million with the Browns in 2020. 

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Hooper, a 2016 third-round pick out of Stanford, spent his first four NFL seasons with the Atlanta Falcons and became a two-time Pro Bowler (2018-19).

With Hooper in the picture, Swaim is expected to be the Titans' No. 2 tight end. Swaim had career highs in receptions (31), receiving yards (210) and touchdowns (3) as a starter last season. 

Briley Moore, Ryan Izzo, Tommy Hudson and Austin Fort are the other tight ends under contract for the Titans. Firkser and Pruitt are unrestricted free agents. 

The Hooper addition marks the biggest move of free agency so far for the Titans, who've prioritized depth this week. They signed versatile offensive lineman Jamarco Jones and agreed to terms with running back Trenton Cannon and safety A.J. Moore, both of whom are expected to contribute mostly on special teams. 

Ben Arthur covers the Tennessee Titans for The USA TODAY Network. Contact him at barthur@gannett.com and follow him on Twitter at @benyarthur.