APRIL 5: Hoyer’s two-year deal will check in at $4.5MM, Field Yates of ESPN.com tweets. This agreement places the former UDFA in position to surpass $35MM in career earnings. The Raiders will be Hoyer’s eighth NFL team. Hoyer’s deal is nearly fully guaranteed, Ben Volin of the Boston Globe adds (via Twitter). The 15th-year veteran is locked into $4.2MM at signing.
APRIL 4: Weeks after Josh McDaniels secured a Jimmy Garoppolo reunion, the second-year Raiders HC is bringing in another familiar face. The Raiders are signing Brian Hoyer, according to his agency (on Twitter).
Hoyer agreed to a two-year deal with Las Vegas on Tuesday. The Raiders attempted to keep Jarrett Stidham, but the ex-Patriots draftee preferred the opportunity the Broncos will provide. Now, another ex-McDaniels Pats pupil will head west.
Hoyer and Garoppolo did not cross paths in New England; the latter’s trade to the 49ers in 2017 led Hoyer out of San Francisco and back to Foxborough. Hoyer finished out his first Patriots tenure with McDaniels, who rejoined the Pats in the 2011 playoffs after the Rams did not bring him back following a rough season as St. Louis’ OC. Hoyer caught up with McDaniels again in 2017 and played four seasons under the longtime Pats OC. The two will work together again soon.
The Patriots dropped Hoyer earlier this offseason, taking on nearly $2MM in dead money to do so. New England has second-year QB Bailey Zappe in place behind Mac Jones. This will lead to yet another opportunity for the veteran backup. Hoyer, 37, has been in the NFL since joining the Patriots as a 2009 UDFA.
Enjoying two stints as Tom Brady‘s backup and having been a starter for a few teams in between, Hoyer backed up Cam Newton in 2020 and Jones for the past two seasons. Given Garoppolo’s injury history, Hoyer could become a key figure for the Raiders. Hoyer seeing starts would be interesting at this stage of his career; the 15th-year veteran has started three games over the past five seasons and only finished one of those. Hoyer also suffered a concussion early last season, having replaced Jones after the starter’s high ankle sprain, and did not return from New England’s IR. The October concussion was not expected to end Hoyer’s season, and NBC Sports’ Tom Curran said during a recent WEEI appearance the backup believed he was ready to return (video link). He remained on IR, however.
For his career, Hoyer has made 40 starts. He played a relevant role in the mid-2010s, guiding his hometown Browns into rare playoff contention and then leading the Texans to the AFC South title a year later. Cleveland was 7-6 in Hoyer’s starts in 2014, despite Josh Gordon missing most of that stretch due to a suspension, but the Browns sat the veteran for then-rookie Johnny Manziel. Hoyer finished 2015 with a 19-7 TD-INT ratio in Houston, but after a playoff loss to the Chiefs, the Texans replaced him with Brock Osweiler.
Holding the No. 7 overall pick, the Raiders are also doing extensive work on this year’s rookie class. It certainly will be possible Las Vegas will finish this offseason with Garoppolo, Hoyer and a rookie signal-caller — perhaps a first-round pick on a developmental track — on the depth chart. As of now, though, the team’s post-Derek Carr QB room is full-on Patriots West.
0-15 since his last win in 2016 and that year he was 1-4. He was on the IR last year with concussion.
This is the best the Raiders can do?
Are we sure he’s going to be the back up QB or a coach?
I mean, who else are they gonna get? Wentz? Rudolph? Maybe Blaine Gabbert or Trevor Siemian?
Only serviceable QB would be bridgewater but even then he’s had concussion issues last year. Hoyer is familiar with McDaniels and has been holding down clipboard jobs for years now for a reason. He’s a safe bet, but not an exciting one.
Hoyer’s essentially a coach at this point. His arm strength has dwindled considerably since his magical run with Cleveland and good season in Houston. House was never known specifically for his athleticism to begin with, and his main advantage has always been his football I.Q. If his receivers are in the right spots and his linemen can protect him, he can generally get the ball where it needs to go within the scheme. At that point, it’s up to the scheme to be effective in creating gains and avoiding turnovers. That’s where McDaniels is supposed to make up slack.
Hoyer is there because McDaniels does not want to have to worry about teaching his backup his playbook. Hoyer will be a reliable option in that regard, but more importantly will tutor the rookie who comes in behind Garappolo and will help critique the offense from a player perspective. Hoyer is a coach more than a player at this juncture in his career, and his signing points in some way to me that the Raiders do plan on acquiring a QB soon.
Agree with you as usual and Hoyer can be an effective mentor because he has worked out of many systems and has no ego to get in the way.
lol Josh is trying to turn the Raiders into the Patriots west and its not going to happen lol..They will be plying for the top pick in next years draft.
IS it still April Fools?
Matt Cassel is home awaiting a call
Las Vegas – where old used up Patriots go to collect more paychecks.
The people saying this is a bad signing are obviously not realizing that there is no intention of him throwing a pass for us. He is a veteran QB that knows the offense. This is basically the equivalent of having an extra QB coach to sit in that room and assist with game planning and film breakdown.
Pretty expensive coach
Doubt there’s much of a cap hit involved and the Raiders have plenty of room
I was mainly thinking of the minimum salary he will get. They could find retired or former college qb etc. I agree he is mainly there to coach.
I’ve always like “Hoyer the Destroyer”. He can win you a few games, he’s always been regarded as a good teammate that I know of, and he doesn’t complain publicly. I still remember back in 2012 when he joined my Steelers for about 3 weeks, never threw a pass for them… and teammates were complimenting him left and right and wishing him well.
Once these backup QBs get rooted in they always get a job. This guy stinks and always has yet he’s up to $35mil. Congratulations Hoyer, that’s impressive