There has been much speculation surrounding Pittsburgh Native Malik Hooker lately. He recently posted a 'boomerang' video of himself on an airplane landing in his hometown (Pittsburgh) a day before it would be known he was visiting with the Pittsburgh Steelers organization. Ian Rapoport said Malik Hooker visited with the Pittsburgh Steelers on Thursday, but it is unclear who he will be signing with. Hooker also met with the Dolphins and the Cowboys this offseason as well.
It's clear the Steelers have interest in Malik Hooker to bring him in for a visit. What is unclear is he healthy? Coming off of an Achilles Tear in 2020 he only managed to play 2 games with the Indianapolis Colts. Nonetheless, he is a very talented prospect who was drafted in the first round of the NFL draft. Had he stayed healthy on the football field he would be ranked with some of the special defensive players in the NFL. So there is no concern with his talent on the football field whatsoever.
After Malik had his visit with the Pittsburgh Steelers many Steeler fans have taken his social media by storm asking him to sign with his hometown team. He did go after one fan saying no one knows about his injury history other than his family and himself. He did end up saying he appreciated much of the support that fan was giving him though. I get it can be frustrating as an athlete when you have an injury history, but at times that elephant needs to be addressed even if you're frustrated by it.
Malik Hooker recently put out an interesting tweet surrounding his free agency. This tweet could mean several things, but could it be toward Pittsburgh Steeler fans saying to be patient? If it is going to play out the way it is supposed to be then Malik Hooker would end up signing with the Pittsburgh Steelers because that is his hometown. Again this is pure speculation and it could just be Hooker saying to himself to be patient with the process of free agency.
Only time will tell if Malik Hooker will sign with the Pittsburgh Steelers, but you have to wonder if he will be picking his new team soon... So far he has met with the Dolphins, Cowboys, and Steelers. Although the Steelers do not have much cap room to work with they could try and persuade him by playing for his hometown team. That is something that seems to be appealing to Malik Hooker. Let's wait and see if it works out.
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