Atlanta Falcons tight end Austin Hooper hasn't gotten a contract offer yet, but he hopes that his career can continue in the black and red. Hooper is set to become an unrestricted free agent in March if the two can't come to an agreement but he hopes it doesn't reach that point.

“I’m not going to speak on that too much,” Hooper said when asked about his contract via AJC.com. “It’s a business. I’m open to coming back here. I don’t know … I haven’t received an offer yet. If I do, I’d definitely like to be here, but at the same time, it’s a business. I’m going to let my representation and the representation for the Falcons handle that.”

Hooper had a career year during 2019 and set himself up for a really nice payday. He finished the season catching 75 passes for 787 yards and six touchdowns. He also missed three days because of injuries which make those stats even more impressive.

The former Stanford Cardinal received some heat early in his career for his play but has proven a lot of the doubters wrong.

“You guys hated me, especially you,” Hooper told the AJC. “Here you are now. It’s been cool. A 180 degrees flip from coming out 21 years old and everyone thinking I’m a finished product when in reality I was just getting started. I feel like every year I’ve been here, I’ve done nothing but get better. That’s what I’ll continue to keep doing.”

If the Falcons decide to go in a different direction there should be a big free-agent market. Going up to play for the New England Patriots could make a lot of sense.