Brian Hoyer is the newest member of Patriots West.
New England’s former backup quarterback on Tuesday signed a two-year contract with the Las Vegas Raiders, according to his agency, JL Sports.
The Raiders announced the signing on social media.
The move reunites Hoyer with his old Patriots offensive coordinator, Josh McDaniels, who took over as Vegas’ head coach last season. Hoyer will back up another New England alum, Jimmy Garoppolo, after the Raiders signed the ex-Patriots and 49ers QB last month.
Hoyer started just three games over the last five seasons, but he boasts a deep knowledge of McDaniels’ offense and could help mentor a rookie quarterback if the Raiders plan to draft one later this month.
The 37-year-old logged three separate stints with the Patriots, but his latest reportedly ended poorly. According to a report last week from NBC Sports Boston’s Tom E. Curran, Hoyer “was not sold” on the Patriots’ failed offensive coaching experiment last season and “let (it) be known” that starter Mac Jones was placed in an unfavorable situation.
The Patriots cut Hoyer after the season, eating the $1.4 million in guaranteed money left on his contract.
“I think that’s a large portion of why Hoyer’s not here,” Curran said on WEEI’s “Arcand & Mego,” referring to his complaints about the Matt Patricia- and Joe Judge-led offense. “The Patriots would tell you otherwise, but they’re paying him $1.4 million to not play here and not be part of the system.”
There’s at least a chance Hoyer and Jones could team up again in Las Vegas. ProFootballTalk’s Mike Florio on Tuesday reported the Patriots have shopped Jones in trade talks this offseason, with the Raiders mentioned as a possible destination. It’s unclear whether those talks occurred before or after Vegas signed Garoppolo to a three-year, $72.8 million contract.
Hoyer started one game in 2022 while Jones was out with a high ankle sprain, but he suffered a concussion in the first quarter and spent the rest of the season on injured reserve. The 15th-year pro becomes the latest in a long line of ex-Patriots to follow McDaniels to Sin City, including fellow offseason signees Jakobi Meyers and Phillip Dorsett.
