David Kenyon
The New England Patriots are currently without a backup quarterback for Tom Brady, but Brian Hoyer may soon remedy that problem.
According to Field Yates of ESPN, Hoyer is visiting the team Wednesday morning and is expected to sign.
This makes plenty of sense for the Patriots, who traded Jimmy Garoppolo to the San Francisco 49ers, who then released Hoyer. He had started six games for San Francisco but was ineffective, averaging 6.1 yards per attempt while losing all six times.
So why is this the right move? And, as every quarterback signing now demands, why not Colin Kaepernick?
Hoyer spent three years as Brady’s backup from 2009-2011 before gallivanting around the NFL with five teams in six seasons. The Patriots can sign Hoyer to a minimum deal and hope he never plays more than garbage-time snaps anyway.
New England probably expected this exact signing when it shipped Garoppolo across the United States to San Francisco, but Hoyer’s contract would’ve resulted in a loss of draft capital if he were included in the trade. Instead, the Patriots waited for the 49ers to release Hoyer and can now acquire him painlessly.
