Atlanta Falcons tight end Austin Hooper is set to be the best tight end on the open market once free agency begins next week, and the expectation is that he will receive a massive pay day as a result.

As a matter of fact, Tom Pelissero of NFL Network says that Hooper is going to “reset” the tight end market and will receive a contract worth $10 million annually.

Hooper has spent the first four years of his career with the Atlanta Falcons and is coming off of a 2019 campaign in which he played 13 games and hauled in 75 receptions for 787 yards and six touchdowns.

The 25-year-old, who played his collegiate football at Stanford, was originally selected by the Falcons in the third round (81st pick overall) of the 2016 NFL Draft.

He had a rather quiet rookie year, appearing in 14 contests and logging 19 catches for 271 yards and three scores. The following season, Hooper's role grew significantly, as he caught 49 passes for 526 yards while reaching the end zone three times, and in 2018, he continued to improve, snaring 71 balls for 660 yards and four touchdowns.

Obviously, Atlanta would like to re-sign Hooper, but the Falcons have very limited cap space, and placing a franchise tag on him is not something that seems all that probable (the deadline for franchise tagging was pushed back to next Monday).

In a market that also includes tight ends such as Hunter Henry and Eric Ebron, Hooper is definitely the cream of the crop, as he is more durable than Henry and is more consistent than Ebron.