Brian Hoyer - Pro Football Rumors

Extra Points: Patriots, Maxwell, Peterson

November 6th, 2017 at 9:35pm CST by Ben Levine

Following months of speculation, the Patriots finally pulled the trigger on a Jimmy Garoppolo trade during last week’s deadline. Today, coach Bill Belichick provided some clarity on the transaction, noting that the team did not shop around the quarterback during this past offseason.

“There was no market to trade Jimmy in April, on our end,” Belichick said during an appearance on WEEI (via Doug Kyed of NESN.com). “I don’t really care what the offer was. I don’t even know what the offers were, or would have been. There was no interest on our end in making that deal. It didn’t really matter what the offer was, or would the offer would have been. I don’t really know what they were because we never entertained it.

“As I said, we had the best depth at that position probably of any team in the league, or at least we felt like we did. Maybe other teams felt different, I don’t know. We had great depth at that position. It was a tremendous situation to have two quarterbacks of the caliber we’ve had the past call it two and a half years from when Jimmy was ready. Unfortunately, it just wasn’t sustainable.”

There were whispers that the Browns had pursued Garoppolo during the offseason, but it sounds like the Patriots weren’t even willing to pick up the phone.

Let’s take a look at some other notes from around the NFL…

Brian Hoyer has a number of suitors after he was let go by the 49ers, but the quarterback told Ryan Hannable of WEEI.com that signing with the Patriots was a no-brainer. “I think for me, that was kind of the excitement of coming back home, and to be able to play behind Tom [Brady] and be in this organization,” Hoyer said. “And I was OK with. I think for me, having played a lot, you’re always ready to play, but it wasn’t going to work out for me to be a starter there in San Francisco the rest of this year, anyways, and probably not for next year. So I think for me, when I had an opportunity to come here and be the backup to Tom and in this organization, it was kind of a no-brainer.”
After working out with the Falcons, cornerback Byron Maxwell will not be signing a contract this evening, reports ESPN.com’s Vaughn McClure. Of course, the writer also notes that the defensive back hasn’t been ruled out, so a transaction could still be a possibility.
Even after he missed three field goal attempts on Sunday against Washington, the Seahawks say they will not move on from kicker Blair Walsh. “No, we will not,” coach Pete Carroll told reporters (via Brady Henderson of ESPN.com). “He’s 12-for-13 going into the game, guys. That was a hard day for whatever reason. We didn’t kick the ball off very well, either. It was just a hard day to kick the ball for us.” Walsh’s misses proved to be costly as Seattle lost by three points.
After a slow start to the season, Cardinals running back Adrian Peterson may actually reach some of his monetary incentives. As former agent Joel Corry notes on Twitter, the veteran’s contract calls for an extra $150K if he reaches 750 rushing yards. After compiling only 81 rushing yards in four games with the Saints, the veteran has collected 314 in three games with the Cardinals, meaning he only needs another 355 rushing yards in eight more games.
The number of agents certified by the NFL Players Association has risen 4%, from 795 to 830, Liz Mullen of SBJ writes. That figure includes 119 new agents who became certified this summer. Meanwhile, 84 agents either lost or dropped their certification. One can lose certification by not negotiating an NFL deal within a three-year period, missing the yearly union seminar, or not paying dues.

Zach Links contributed to this post.

NFC North Notes: Vikings, Teddy, Bears

November 2nd, 2017 at 9:40pm CST by Zachary Links

There has been a lot of talk about whether Teddy Bridgwater will start for the Vikings upon his return, but GM Rick Speilman says the team is only focused on his health (link via Courtney Cronin of ESPN.com).

“All we’re concerned about is where he is this week,” Spielman said. “I know we’re evaluating him in practice every day. And then we’ll have to make a decision coming up next week — not if he’s going to start or not start, but if he’s going to come up to the 53. That’s the next step. And then, from there, the coaches will determine the rest of the way.”

The 6-2 Vikings have a Week 9 bye. After that, the team will assess where Bridgewater is in his recovery.

Here’s more from the NFC North:

The Vikings didn’t make any moves at the trade deadline but GM Rick Spielman indicated that several teams reached out about some of the team’s younger players (Twitter link via Courtney Cronin of ESPN.com). Leading up to Halloween, Spielman said that the Vikings had some concerns about their depth at running back beyond Jerick McKinnon and Latavius Murray. However, they feel pretty set after claiming Mack Brown off of waivers from Washington.
The Bears have not seriously discussed bringing wide receiver Kevin White back from injured reserve this season, coach John Fox told reporters (Twitter link via Rich Campbell of the Chicago Tribune). White, unfortunately, was never viewed as an IR-DTR candidate, so Fox’s announcement doesn’t come as a big surprise.
The Packers‘ interest in Brian Hoyer was “cursory, at best,” according to Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com (on Twitter). After Hoyer signed with the Pats, it was reported that Green Bay had interest in signing the QB. Either way, the Packers will forge ahead with Brett Hundley as their No. 1 quarterback while Aaron Rodgers nurses a broken collarbone.

East Notes: Dolphins, Suh, Cousins

November 2nd, 2017 at 7:45pm CST by Zachary Links

The Dolphins strongly denied a report indicating that they are ready to move on from defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh. The Fins are telling the truth, Armando Salguero of The Miami Herald writes, but they were fed up with his behavior in years past. Since then, Suh has celebrated his 30th birthday and he seems to have turned over a new leaf in the locker room. Suh is in better standing with coaches, but there’s still the matter of his onerous contract. Suh counts for $19.1MM against the cap this season and that will climb to $26.1MM in 2018. The Dolphins could save up to $17MM in cap space by designating him a post-June 1 cut, but Salguero expects the two sides to discuss some kind of restructured deal to keep the union going.

Here’s more from the East divisions:

The 49ers’ trade for Jimmy Garoppolo doesn’t alter Kirk Cousins‘ future with the Redskins, John Keim of ESPN.com opines. Even with the Niners out of the Cousins equation, the Redskins will still probably have to tag Cousins for a third consecutive year. However, the Redskins could get bold and use the less expensive transition tag on Cousins now that the cash-flush Niners are (ostensibly) out of the picture. With the transition tag, the Redskins would receive no compensation if they decline to match another team’s offer. The Cardinals, Jets, Jaguars, Ravens, Browns, and Broncos are among the clubs that could be in search of a QB this spring.
Brian Hoyer‘s three-year deal with the Patriots calls for him to earn $476K in 2017, $915K in 2018, and a $2.85MM base salary ($1.5MM of which is guaranteed) in 2019, according to Field Yates of ESPN.com (Twitter link). He could also earn a $200K roster bonus in ’19, bringing the total value of the deal to $4.44MM. The fifth day of the 2019 league year – the date the bonus is due – will be pivotal in determining whether Hoyer finishes out the full three-year pact, as Mike Reiss of ESPN.com notes. Per the terms of his previous deal with the Niners, Hoyer is eligible for termination pay from SF through 2018.

Packers Tried To Sign Brian Hoyer

November 1st, 2017 at 12:23pm CST by Zachary Links

Brian Hoyer is back with the Patriots. But, before he put pen to paper with New England, the Packers made a run at him, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter).

Hoyer ultimately chose to sign a three-year deal with the Pats and his familiarity with their system presumably helped. Hoyer was with the Patriots from 2009-2011, so it won’t take long for him to get acquainted with their 2017 playbook.

Had he signed with the Packers, Hoyer presumably would have had an easier path to the field. It’s not clear if Hoyer would have displaced 24-year-old Brett Hundley as the starter, but it’s not hard to see a scenario in which Hundley would falter and give way to the veteran.

For now, Hundley will continue as the Packers’ sub for Aaron Rodgers in the wake of his broken collarbone. Joe Callahan, also 24, is the backup. In Hundley’s first start, the Packers lost 26-17 to the Saints.

Patriots To Sign QB Brian Hoyer

November 1st, 2017 at 9:11am CST by Zachary Links

The Patriots have found their replacement for Jimmy Garoppolo in Brian Hoyer. The Pats met with Hoyer on Wednesday morning and inked him to a three-year deal, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (on Twitter).

Hoyer was not included in the Garoppolo trade, presumably because New England did not want to take on his two-year, $12MM deal. Hoyer is entitled to termination pay, so he’ll continue to collect on a good chunk of that deal while earning the minimum – or something close to it – in New England. Meanwhile, he goes from the 0-8 Niners to the defending champs.

Hoyer, 32, started six games for the Niners before getting benched in favor of C.J. Beathard. He threw four touchdowns against four interceptions and ranked near the bottom of just about every statistical category for quarterbacks.

He’s not a star, but the Patriots feel that he can be a capable backup in the event that Tom Brady suffers an injury. He also has familiarity with the team thanks to his time with the Pats from 2009-2011. Of course, they’ll also be keeping their fingers crossed extra tight for Brady’s health since they converted a much better safety net into a second-round pick.

49ers To Release QB Brian Hoyer

October 30th, 2017 at 7:46pm CST by Dallas Robinson

After acquiring quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo from the Patriots, the 49ers are releasing veteran signal-caller Brian Hoyer, per Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (Twitter link).

With Garoppolo now in tow, San Francisco had no need for Hoyer, who inked a two-year deal with the club this season. Rookie C.J. Beathard will presumably serve as Garoppolo’s backup, while Hoyer — who had admittedly struggled through a half-season in the Bay Area — will now hit the open market.

Although completely speculative, the Patriots stand out as an obvious suitor for Hoyer. After trading Garoppolo, New England no longer has a quarterback on the roster aside from starter Tom Brady. Hoyer spent the 2009-11 campaigns with the Patriots after signing as an undrafted free agent, so he offers experience in the New England system. And he’ll also come cheap given that he’ll earn termination pay from the 49ers, meaning he can now comfortably sign for the minimum.

Indeed, Hoyer was originally included as part of the Patriots’ return for Garoppolo, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (Twitter link). However, because Hoyer was signed as a free agent this offseason, he would have counted in New England’s 2018 compensatory pick calculation, and would have canceled out a Pats fourth- or fifth-rounder next year, tweets Nick Korte of Over the Cap.

Hoyer, 32, started six games for the 49ers before getting benched in favor of Beathard, and didn’t perform nearly as well as he had with the Bears in 2016. While completing just 58% of his passes, Hoyer tossed four touchdowns against four interceptions, and ranked 28th in adjusted net yards per pass attempt and 30th in quarterback rating.

West Rumors: Chiefs, 49ers, Hoyer

October 2nd, 2017 at 9:46pm CST by Zachary Links

Chiefs starting guard Laurent Duvernay-Tardif exited Monday night’s game in the first quarter with an apparent knee injury. Tests on Tuesday morning will determine the extent of the injury and the team is hopeful that it is an MCL injury and not an ACL tear, Terez Paylor of the Kansas City Star tweets.

The Chiefs and Duvernay-Tardif agreed to a five-year, $41.25MM extension in the offseason, making him one of the league’s highest-paid interior linemen. Losing him for a lengthy period of time would be a setback for KC.

Here’s more from the West divisions:

49ers coach Kyle Shanahan says he not given any consideration to a quarterback change, as Matt Barrows of The Sacramento Bee writes. For now, the Niners are sticking with Brian Hoyer, but it sounds like Shanahan will not hesitate to yank him if he feels it would benefit the team. “I think he needs to play better,” Shanahan said of Hoyer. “And I think we can play better around him. … When you have the time and you have guys open, you need to hit them. I thought he struggled with that at times (Sunday). I know he can do better. But I also know when he did make throws, guys weren’t great at catching them for him, either.” If Hoyer gets the hook, rookie C.J. Beathard will get a chance to show what he can do.
The Rams will add Mike Thomas to the roster and go to seven wide receivers when he returns from suspension this week, coach Sean McVay said (Twitter link via Alden Gonzalez of ESPN.com). Thomas was hit with the ban in July for PED use.
Cardinals tackle D.J. Humphries is still out with an MCL injury and coach Bruce Arians doesn’t expect to see him back until two weeks from now, Josh Weinfuss of ESPN.com tweets.

AFC East Notes: Jets, Hoyer, Patriots, Bills

June 10th, 2017 at 2:53pm CST by Sam Robinson

Several quarterbacks appeared on the Jets‘ radar this offseason, one that moved the team into rebuilding territory. But Josh McCown arrived after the team made a “competitive offer” to another recent part-time starter. The Jets submitted a contract proposal to Brian Hoyer, according to Rich Cimini of ESPN.com, but he was not keen on a pact with the team despite his desire for a starting job. Instead, the veteran wanted to reunite with Kyle Shanahan with the 49ers. This was the second straight year the Jets showed offseason interest in Hoyer, who is now affiliated with his fourth team in four years. The 31-year-old passer visited the Jets in April 2016 before signing with the Bears later that month. Hoyer signed with San Francisco for two years and $12MM, $9.85MM fully guaranteed at signing. That package beats the Jets’ eventual deal for McCown, but the 38-year-old presumptive New York starter still received $6MM fully guaranteed for 2017 in a pact that includes incentives as well.

Here’s the latest from New York and other AFC East cities.

Also showing interest in Mike Glennon, Jay Cutler and Chase Daniel, the Jets wanted a “cheap, but experienced” game manager, per Cimini. McCown checked the boxes for the Jets, profiling as a classic stopgap quarterback who won’t cause trouble if/when he’s benched for Christian Hackenberg or Bryce Petty. This blueprint for the 2017 quarterback may have been part of the reason Gang Green and Cutler couldn’t line up a visit prior to the quarterback’s retirement.
The Patriots‘ refusal to trade Jimmy Garoppolo — and the possibility that a quarterback franchise tag that could be worth around $24MM in 2018 — creates the appearance of a quarterback controversy, Tom Curran of CSNNE.com notes (video link). Tom Brady will almost certainly be the quarterback this season as long as he’s healthy, but the situation becomes murkier after 2017 when Garoppolo’s contract expires and Brady moves closer to his 41st birthday. Curran also notes the Patriots need more intel on Garoppolo before tagging him, which could be difficult if Brady stays healthy. The backup’s Deflategate audition lasting six quarters instead of 16 leaves an incomplete grade as far as durability goes, Curran notes.
Jeremy Maclin participated in a two-day visit with the Bills earlier this week, and Vic Carucci of the Buffalo News believes the recently released wideout will end up in Buffalo if he’s willing to accept a short-term, incentive-laden deal. It’s unknown if Maclin, who was a No. 1 wideout for two years with the Chiefs, would be willing to do that. The 29-year-old pass-catcher has drawn interest from at least two teams, with the Ravens hosting him on a visit this week as well, and would profile as a fit on others too. The Bills have $12.6MM in cap space. Carucci notes the Bills don’t figure to be willing to pay Maclin big money given his injury history, and that the receiver profiles as a one- or two-year solution.

Contract Details: Hoyer, Newman, Dansby

March 15th, 2017 at 9:04pm CST by Dallas Robinson

Let’s take a look at the details of a few recently-signed contracts:

Karlos Dansby, LB (Cardinals): One year, $2MM. $700K guaranteed. $250K available via incentives (Twitter link via Tom Pelissero of USA Today).
Vlad Ducasse, OL (Bills): Three years, $3.5MM. $250K guaranteed. $250K signing bonus. Playing time incentives available (link via Mike Rodak of ESPN.com).
Brian Hoyer, QB (49ers): Two years, $12MM. $9.85MM guaranteed. $4MM signing bonus. $1.5MM available via incentives (20 touchdowns, 2,500 passing yards, Pro Bowl) in 2017. $5MM available via incentives (same thresholds) in 2018 (links via Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk and Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com).
Bennie Logan, DT (Chiefs): One year, $8MM. $7.68MM guaranteed. $1MM signing bonus (Twitter link via Terez A. Paylor of the Kansas City Star).
Alex Okafor, LB/DE (Saints): One year, $2MM. $1MM guaranteed. $1MM signing bonus. $1MM available in sack and playtime incentives (Twitter link via Nick Underhill of the Advocate).
Terence Newman, CB (Vikings): One year, $3.25MM. $1.5MM guaranteed. $500K signing bonus (Twitter link via Matt Vensel of the Minneapolis Star Tribune).

49ers To Sign Brian Hoyer

March 8th, 2017 at 8:50pm CST by Zachary Links

The 49ers will sign Brian Hoyer, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter). Hoyer’s role is not immediately clear, but it’s at least possible that he may be San Francisco’s starter in 2017. It’s a two-year deal, tweets Albert Breer of TheMMQB.com. The pact contains base salaries of $6MM in each season and $10MM in guarantees, per Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports. With potential incentives factored in, Hoyer could make up to $9MM per year (Twitter link).

The Jets also had interest in Hoyer, but it seems that his relationship with coach Kyle Shanahan helped push him to San Francisco. The incumbent Bears and the Bills also had some level of interest in him. The Bears probably backed off as their pursuit of Mike Glennon gained steam and the Bills came off the board when they worked out a restructured deal with Tyrod Taylor.

Hoyer and Shanahan worked together on the 2014 Browns, who finished with the moribund franchise’s best record since 2007. Hoyer’s per-pass numbers were better with the Texans and Bears, respectively, but his longest audition as a starter came for a Cleveland team that didn’t have Josh Gordon‘s services, for the most part. The Cleveland-area native threw for more than 3,000 yards for the only time in his career and tossed 12 touchdown passes.

In Chicago, Hoyer threw four 300-yard games last season before suffering a season-ending injury, and he guided the Texans to the playoffs in 2015 despite being embroiled in a strange quarterback controversy with Ryan Mallett for part of the year. His arrival in San Francisco could signal the 49ers leaning toward taking a quarterback in the draft. Numerous passers — headlined by Kirk Cousins — were believed to be on the 49ers’ radar, but Hoyer looks to be a bridge starter in the meantime. Washington slapped the exclusive franchise tag on Cousins, so a trade would be the only scenario in which San Francisco could acquire him this year. But Cousins could be a 2018 UFA, and a Hoyer deal would line up with a possible Shanahan pursuit of another former pupil next year.

Hoyer went 1-4 in five Bears starts last year but 5-4 with the ’15 Texans and guided the Browns to all seven of their wins a year prior.