Free agent quarterback Brian Hoyer has agreed to a one-year deal with the Chicago Bears, the team announced shortly after the 2016 NFL Draft concluded. Hoyer, 30, looked like he had caught on as a starting quarterback for the Houston Texans last season before the team signed Brock Osweiler in free agency. The team wound up releasing Hoyer on April 17.
Brian Hoyer signs 1-year deal with Bears
Hoyer played well for the Texans before they replaced him with Brock Osweiler. Will he finally catch on with his new team?
Photo by Bob Levey/Getty Images
Hoyer’s deal is worth $2 million, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL Network.
Hoyer played in 11 games for the Texans last season, completing 60.7 percent of his passes for 2,606 yards with 19 touchdowns and seven interceptions. He was benched in Week 1 even after winning a quarterback battle with Ryan Mallett in training camp and the preseason. But Mallett himself was quickly benched and Hoyer took over, playing well.
Prior to that, Hoyer played for the Cleveland Browns, where he threw 17 touchdowns and 16 interceptions in 17 games over two seasons with the team. Before his stint with the Browns, he spent one season with the Arizona Cardinals and three seasons with the New England Patriots.
Hoyer looked like a much-improved quarterback with the Texans, though not enough to give them any confidence in him going forward as the starter. Houston believes it has strong pieces in place with DeAndre Hopkins at receiver and multiple defensive standouts like J.J. Watt and Brian Cushing. They wanted to upgrade the position.
But it was always likely that Hoyer would find a new team. He’s not going to be a franchise quarterback, but he likely did enough with Houston to give coaches and offensive coordinators some belief in his potential to be a serviceable player with enough left in the tank. With the Bears, he’ll be a backup for Jay Cutler. It’s unclear if Hoyer was unable to find a team willing to give him a shot at a starting job.
See More:
