Tag: Brian Hoyer

Brian Hoyer explains how he’d handle Patriots’ QB situation

Brian Hoyer shared his take on the Patriots’ QB situation

Former New England Patriots backup signal-caller Brian Hoyer approves of the organization’s plan at quarterback.

New England signed veteran Jacoby Brissett in March to serve as a bridge quarterback, while the team developed a rookie. The 2024 NFL draft rolled around, the Patriots used the No. 3 pick on Drake Maye and the rest is history.

Now that Maye is in the fold, the Patriots have another opportunity to develop a rookie quarterback in an offense needing a jump-start after a dismal 2023 season.

Hoyer appeared on ESPN’s NFL Live and shared his thoughts on the Patriots’ plan at the quarterback position.

“I think the Patriots, you go into the season, you sign Jacoby Brissett, you know you’re drafting a quarterback with that pick,” said Hoyer. “But you signed him to be the starter right away because he’s capable. He’s played a lot of football. He is very endearing to his teammates. They love him, and he is the perfect guy to mentor Drake Maye.”

The Patriots need to make sure they get Maye’s development done correctly.

They failed with Mac Jones in the Bill Belichick era. The last thing the new regime can afford is the team missing on another first-round pick at quarterback for the second time in four seasons.

Brian Hoyer believes Drake Maye was safe pick for Patriots

Drake Maye needs work, but his upside is the reason he was worth the No. 3 pick, according to Brian Hoyer.

The dissection of the New England Patriots rookie quarterback Drake Maye’s talents has begun. The NFL draft concluded on Saturday, and now it’s time for the rookie class to begin to make a statement.

The offensive unit has been completely rebuilt. A new quarterback, two new wide receivers, two offensive linemen and a tight end make up a new-look unit following the draft.

As expected, there are some questions about Maye’s ability. Former Patriots quarterback Brian Hoyer reacted to the pick and claimed he understood why New England picked the former North Carolina quarterback. He pinpointed the quarterback’s upside as a reason why he was a smart selection.

“It’s a safe pick, because it’s a new era. The fan base wants a quarterback, and they draft the one who has the most upside,” said Hoyer, via NBC Sports Boston. “I think that’s what it is. You’re drafting Drake Maye for his upside. You’re not drafting him for really what he did in college. I think you’re kind of hitting that on the head. He is inconsistent. His footwork is off. All of those things. But the things that he flashes, that’s what you’re drafting.”

There is no doubt that Maye is going to be a project, especially as a rookie. Nevertheless, New England did a solid job of surrounding him with offensive talent in the draft, which should make his development process a little bit easier.

The work he does between now and the start of training camp especially will play a big factor in his development.

Brian Hoyer explains why Rob Gronkowski was better tight end than Travis Kelce

Travis Kelce is a phenomenal tight end, but he isn’t Rob Gronkowski, per QB Brian Hoyer

Former New England Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski is widely regarded as the greatest tight end of all time, and one of his former teammates took the time to explain why.

Quarterback Brian Hoyer played with Gronkowski for four seasons and got to see his production firsthand. Gronkowski was an offense catalyst for New England for nine seasons, recording 7,861 receiving yards and 79 touchdowns. He immediately burst onto the scene, catching 17 touchdown passes in his second season in 2011. The touchdown catches are an NFL record to this day.

Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce is certainly having a strong career in his own right, and he has started receiving comparisons to Gronkowski in terms of his playmaking ability. On top of that, the Chiefs are being compared to the Patriots as the next great dynasty. Hoyer was a guest on the “Pats from the Past Podcast” and made sure to give Gronkowski his flowers.

While Hoyer did not diminish Kelce’s efforts, he noted that blocking is something that separates the two.

“Having played with him, maybe I’m a little biased, but [Gronkowski is] the greatest tight end of all time,” said Hoyer. “Not only because of his size, speed, and when you think of a tight end’s ability to run routes and catch. But, because he was such a great blocker that teams had to honor that. And I think that’s what made him so dynamic.

“We look at Travis Kelce today, phenomenal tight end, but really, Travis isn’t blocking anybody. Rob would block like he was the right tackle. …Rob really changed the game in that matter because he was a lineman, who was the premier pass catcher at the same time.”

It’s hard to argue with Kelce’s accomplishments, especially with the Kansas City Chiefs primed to make another Super Bowl run in 2024. However, Gronkowski still reigns supreme as the best overall tight end, at least for now.

9 Raiders free agents remain unsigned after first week

One week later and 9 Raiders free agents still unemployed

A great many departing Raiders found new homes over the past week. Some were re-signed to the team as well. You can all the team’s additions, retentions, and subtractions right here in our free agency tracker.

But not all of those who were a member of the Raiders a week ago have found a landing spot yet. Specifically these nine.

Raiders officially release 4 including QB Jimmy Garoppolo, Hunter Renfrow

QB Jimmy Garoppolo and Hunter Renfrow among 4 Raiders officially released

With the start of the new league comes a house cleaning of sorts. The Raiders first official act in that regard was to release four players from their roster.

Out are:

QB Jimmy Garoppolo
QB Brian Hoyer
WR Hunter Renfrow
DT Jerry Tillery

None of the players were released were with a June 1st designation, which means the Raiders clear some $22 million in cap space. Most of which coming from the Garoppolo ($11.26 million) and Renfrow ($8.2 million) releases.

That money is being sent directly to the additions of DT Christian Wilkins, QB Gardners Minshew, and TE Harrison Bryant. Along with the re-signing of C Andre James.

Garoppolo was signed last offseason to a two-year deal and ended up starting just six games before being benched for rookie Aidan O’Connell.

Renfrow had a Pro Bowl season in 2021, becoming just the third Raiders receiver ever to catch over 100 passes (103). He signed a new deal and then fell off the past two seasons after Josh McDaniels took over as head coach.

Tillery was never really all that effective. And new GM Tom Telesco had already cut him with the Chargers two seasons ago, so you know he wasn’t a fan either.

Hoyer…lol.

Former Patriots QB Brian Hoyer released by Raiders

Brian Hoyer will now be looking for a new home

Las Vegas Raiders quarterback Brian Hoyer was released on Friday, with free agency less than a week away.

Hoyer was a mainstay for the New England quarterback room for eight seasons spread out in three different stints. He was able to see the transition of power in the room, as he was there for the Tom Brady, Cam Newton and the Mac Jones eras. He signed with the Raiders in April 2023.

Hoyer’s release will mean that the Raiders will carry a $2.6 million dead cap hit heading into next season.

The 39-year-old quarterback will now be looking for another team, as he still could provide a veteran presence in the quarterback room. He doesn’t have a high ceiling in terms of skill anymore, but he can be a stabilizing force for a quarterback-needy team in search of a veteran backup.

Las Vegas Raiders release former MSU QB Brian Hoyer

Could former Spartans quarterback Brian Hoyer finally be hanging it up after a lengthy NFL career?

Could former Spartans quarterback Brian Hoyer finally be hanging it up after a lengthy NFL career?

Hoyer was released by the Las Vegas Raiders on Friday, ending a one-year stint in the Sin City. Hoyer appeared in three games for the Raiders this past season, including one start.

Hoyer has been in the NFL since 2009, playing 15 seasons across eight different teams. He has accumulated 10,899 passing yards, 53 touchdowns and 37 interceptions during his career in the NFL.

Contact/Follow us @The SpartansWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Michigan state news, notes, and opinion. You can also follow Robert Bondy on Twitter @RobertBondy5.

Johnny Manziel never felt at home with Browns because of former Patriots QB

Johnny Manziel claims he never felt at home in the Browns’ QB room with Brian Hoyer there

Former Cleveland Browns quarterback and Texas A&M star Johnny Manziel didn’t have a great working relationship with a former New England Patriots player, and it’s not someone you’d expect.

Manziel was selected by the Browns in the first round of the 2014 NFL draft. He lasted two seasons with the organization and was a teammate of Brian Hoyer’s during that time.

Hoyer started for the Browns in the 2014 season and spent two years with the organization overall. He threw for 3,941 yards, 17 touchdowns and 16 interceptions during that time.

Manziel spoke on “Club Shay Shay” this week and talked about the dynamic of the Cleveland quarterback room during his rookie season. He pointed to Hoyer as a person who made the dynamic difficult, as transcribed by NESN.com’s Jason Ounpraseuth.

“My quarterback room was not a home for me because of Brian Hoyer,” Manziel told Shannon Sharpe. “Brian Hoyer had been waiting on an opportunity to go really provide for his family, get an opportunity and he saw how much of an upper hand he had on me, and he didn’t hold back when it came to that. There were instances in the quarterback room early on where I would ask the same question a couple of times and he’d be at the head of the table and go, ‘Pfft, again? We’re doing this again? Keep him out of it. Cut that off.’ And I don’t have a bad word to say about Brian Hoyer. That is just fact what happened in that room.”

It’s interesting to hear about the dynamic of the room itself from Manziel’s point of view. Hoyer is currently a backup quarterback for the Las Vegas Raiders. If anything, it does provide extra insight into what Manziel’s early experience in the NFL was like.

It was a short run that ultimately fizzled out after two seasons.

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What Condition the Position is in: Assessing Raiders level of need at QB ahead of free agency

What Condition Raiders Position is in: Quarterback

With free agency under a month away, it’s time to check in on the Raiders’ quarterback position to give it a condition of either Strong, Stable, Unstable, Serious, or Critical.

Returning starter: Aidan O’Connell
Depth: Jimmy Garoppolo, Brian Hoyer, Anthony Brown Jr
Free Agents: None

Garoppolo began the year as the unquestioned starter. Midway through the season everyone was questioning it. And when Antonio Pierce took over, he removed Jimmy G and made rookie Aidan O’Connell the starter the remainder of the season.

Condition: Critical

Notes: O’Connell played decent at times, but didn’t show he can be the long term solution The depth here is an illusion. Jimmy G will be cut this offseason. As will Brian Hoyer.

There is no question quarterback is THE top priority for this team. It was a top priority last offseason, but Josh McDaniels opted to go with a familiar face from his New England days. That backfired spectacularly, putting the Raiders right back where they were.

5 potential Raiders offseason cuts

5 potential Raiders offseason cuts and cap ramifications

There is a bit of house cleaning that needs to happen this offseason for the Raiders. Currently they have around $38.8 million in cap space. That lands them at 12th most in the league. But they can do better. 

Cuts aren’t always about cap savings, to be clear. But sometimes it’s either the main reason for the cut or a nice byproduct. Should they make all five of the cuts below, the Raiders would save an additional $13.86 million to bring their space under the cap to $52.64 million. That would jump them up to 8th in the league as it currently stands.