Patriots To Sign QB Brian Hoyer

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). Brian Hoyer (vertical)

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.

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