Colts bring in another former Patriots quarterback to replace Andrew Luck
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The Indianapolis Colts finally have their backup quarterback, and they’re going back to a familiar source.
According to a report from ESPN’s Adam Schefter, the Colts will sign former New England Patriots quarterback Brian Hoyer to a three-year, $12 million deal with $9 million in guarantees.
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Hoyer, who was on his second stint with the Patriots before getting cut on Saturday, will back up new starter Jacoby Brissett, whom the Colts acquired from the Pats two years ago to the day for receiver Phillip Dorsett. He isn’t a long-term replacement for the recently retired Andrew Luck, but he should bring stability.
Although both Hoyer and Brissett played with the Patriots, they actually never overlapped. Hoyer first signed with New England as an undrafted free agent in 2009 and played there three seasons. After playing for six other franchises, he returned in November 2017 for a season and a half.
More Patriots connections for the Colts
The Colts and Patriots have long had a connection going back to the days of Peyton Manning and Tom Brady, but their paths have crossed significantly in the years since.
Notably, longtime Patriots offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels was announced as the Colts’ new head coach on Feb. 6, 2018, but he withdrew from the position to stay in New England later that day. That probably turned out for the best for the Colts, who have to be thrilled with how quickly Frank Reich turned around the team.
Of course, the Colts also kicked off the entire deflate-gate saga during the 2015 playoffs. Indianapolis alerted the league before the AFC title game that they suspected the Patriots had under-inflated their footballs, and years of drama ensued.
Backup QB quandaries are quickly solved
Before signing Hoyer, the Colts were one of three teams that only carried one quarterback on their active rosters, since Chad Kelly is suspended for the first two games of the season. However, each of the teams have filled those voids within 48 hours.
The Seattle Seahawks cut Paxton Lynch on Friday after he apparently lost the backup job to Geno Smith, but then they turned around and cut Smith one day later. Seattle quickly picked Smith back up on Sunday after their trade for Jadeveon Clowney cleared a roster spot, making it appear that the initial release of Smith was just a procedural move.
Meanwhile, the Denver Broncos will be without second-round pick Drew Lock for at least the first eight weeks of the season after placing him on the IR, and they cut his backup, Kevin Hogan. They rectified the situation on Sunday by claiming Brandon Allen off waivers from the Los Angeles Rams.
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