It has seemed like only a matter of time until Brian Hoyer signs with the New England Patriots after Jimmy Garoppolo was traded to the San Francisco 49ers on Monday, and the transaction could be happening as soon as Wednesday.
According to ESPN’s Field Yates, Hoyer is visiting with the Patriots on Wednesday and is expected to sign a deal.
Source: free agent QB Brian Hoyer is visiting the Patriots this morning. The expectation is that he will be signing with the team.
— Field Yates (@FieldYates) November 1, 2017
Ian Rapoport of NFL Media was told that Hoyer was included in the Garoppolo trade originally, but he was removed because of compensatory draft pick rules. Because Hoyer only signed with the Niners this past offseason and was not on the team’s roster for X amount of time, the Patriots would have had to send an additional draft pick to San Francisco if they traded for Hoyer. Instead, the 49ers released the veteran.
Hoyer began his career with the Patriots in 2009, so he is familiar with the system. There were some questions about whether teams would be willing to sign him as a starter after he was released by the Niners, but it makes sense that he will most likely sign with New England to back up Tom Brady.
