Patriots Ex-QB Joins Josh McDaniels with Raiders
FOXBORO — Former New England Patriots quarterback Brian Hoyer is reuniting with an old friend in the Nevada desert for the upcoming NFL season.
As confirmed by his representation at JL Sports, Hoyer is signing a two-year deal with the Las Vegas Raiders. The move will reunite him with his longtime offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels, who is entering his second season as Las Vegas’ head coach.
The 37-year-old had been released by the Pats shortly after the start of the 2023 league year in mid March.
Hoyer entered the 2022 season as one of two reserve quarterbacks on the Pats roster along with rookie Bailey Zappe. In the aftermath of starter Mac Jones’ ankle injury, Hoyer was initially named the team’s temporary top signal-caller. Unfortunately, he suffered a concussion after completing only five passes in New England’s Week 4 loss to the Green Bay Packers, and spent the remainder of the year on injured reserve.
New England’s offensive struggles last season have been well-documented. The Pats offensive regressed from ont of the most-efficient units in the NFL under McDaniels to ranking near the bottom in most major categories under the direction of coaches Matt Patricia and Joe Judge. Not only did the offensive woes reportedly cause tension between Jones and head coach Bill Belichick, it may have been the catalyst for Hoyer’s premature release from the team.
NBC Sports Boston’s Tom E. Curran lent some validity to that report last week during an appearance on WEEI’s “Jones & Mego with Arcand” show.
“Brian Hoyer was not sold on what was going on last year. And … I think he let that be known that Mac [Jones] was up against it on a weekly basis,” Curran said. “And I think that’s a large portion of why Hoyer’s not here. The Patriots would tell you otherwise, but they’re paying him 1.4 million dollars to not play here and not be part of the system. Even through training camp and release him in August, when you could use him for this offseason. ‘Nope, thanks, we’re all set with you.’ I think it’s interesting.”
Hoyer originally began his pro career by signing with the Patriots as an undrafted rookie free agent out of Michigan State in 2009. As such, he spent his first three seasons as backup to starter Tom Brady.
The Patriots released Hoyer prior to the 2012 season, who in turn spent time with the Pittsburgh Steelers and Arizona Cardinals, He eventually signed with the Cleveland Browns in 2013, for whom started 16 games over a two-year period. He continued his NFL tour by agreeing to single-season stints with the Houston Texans (2015), Chicago Bears (2016) and San Francisco 49ers for a half-season in 2017.
Hoyer returned to New England in 2017, after the Pats and Niners completed a trade for the services of quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo — ironically to whom he will now serve as a backup in Las Vegas. In his second term with the Patriots, Hoyer earned a Super Bowl ring, while once again assuming back-up duties to Brady. Hoyer was once again cut by the Pats in favor of then-rookie Jarrett Stidham in 2019.
Following a one-year stay with the Indianapolis Colts, Hoyer returned to New England in 2020. Hoyer served as the Patriots’ primary backup to Cam Newton, and later to rookie Jones in 2021. Seeing the majority action in late-game scenarios, he played in five games, completing nine of 11 passes for 227 yards and one touchdown. His primary contribution to the team was his role as a mentor for the Patriots’ young starting quarterback.
Though his best days on the field were behind him, his tutelage of Jones gave him value in New England; especially in light of the team’s numerous offensive coaching changes. Hoyer was also outstanding when running the scout team.
New England currently employs only Jones and Zappe as its quarterbacks for the upcoming season.
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