Both the New York Jets and San Francisco 49ers will be looking for new starting quarterbacks when free agency gets going around the NFL on Thursday.
For the Jets, last season was defined by disastrous quarterback play from a trio of signal callers that took snaps under center. The likes of Ryan Fitzpatrick, Geno Smith and Bryce Petty threw for a combined 16 touchdowns compared to 25 interceptions.
It’s one of the primary reasons the team fell off the map following a 10-win 2015 campaign. With Fitzpatrick and Smith unlikely to return in 2017, it’s obvious the team will be looking for a new starter.
The same thing can be said about a 49ers squad that put up just two wins a season ago. San Francisco currently doesn’t have a quarterback on its roster after Colin Kaepernick opted out of his contract.
So it stands to reason that both squads would be casting a wide net. According to NFL Media’s Ian Rapoport, the Jets and 49ers are the two teams that have a “strong interest” in Chicago Bears quarterback Brian Hoyer.
2 teams showing strong interest in FA QB Brian Hoyer are #49ers & #Jets. … Shanahan had him with #Browns, #Jets were in it last year, too
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) March 8, 2017
Neither the Jets or 49ers should be considered surprise potential landing spots for Hoyer. New York was in the mix for his services last offseason. Meanwhile, Hoyer worked with new 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan when the two were with the Cleveland Browns back in 2014.
Hoyer, 31, would act as a stopgap option for both squads. He’s coming off a 2016 campaign that saw him complete 67 percent of his passes for 1,445 yards with six touchdowns and zero interceptions in five starts. Hoyer’s season was cut short after he suffered a broken arm in October.