Brian Hoyer Released From Texans, Will He Replace Fitzpatrick In New York?
The writing for Brian Hoyer was on the wall. Now it might be for Ryan Fitzpatrick as well?
According to ABC 13, sources have confirmed that Brian Hoyer has been released by the Texans. The move comes as no surprise after Houston opened up their wallets to snag free agent quarterback Brock Osweiler. They also went ahead and resigned backup Brandon Weedon earlier in the month as reported by the Houston Chronicle, relegating Brian Hoyer to journeyman status yet again.
The #Texans have released QB Brian Hoyer, source said. He’s a free agent
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) April 17, 2016
#Texans start offseason conditioning tomorrow & were searching for a Brian Hoyer trade partner. They did right by him in releasing him now
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) April 17, 2016
Speaking of journeymen of course, the release of Brian Hoyer adds some drama to the Ryan Fitzpatrick stand-off with his former employer the New York Jets. Fitzpatrick hit the free agent market March 7th and things appeared to be working in his favor from the outset. The aforementioned Osweiler snagged a $72 million dollar contract with the Texans – $37 million guaranteed and a 2016 salary of over $20 million – after barely playing for the Broncos. And often injured and much maligned QB Sam Bradford resigned with the Philadelphia Eagles for what amounts to $18 million a year for two years.
Fitzpatrick, coming off a career year with the New York Jets, won 10 games with the franchise and nearly led them to the playoffs. He threw for over 3,000 yards and 31 touchdowns. His 2015 performance led his agents to demand the same figures as other, seemingly lesser QBs. But the Jets scoffed at his contract demands and held firm at the reported $7 – $8 million dollars being offered.
The Broncos checked in with Ryan and his agents, but GM John Elway also balked at what Fitzpatrick was demanding. Slowly, Fitzpatrick’s options dwindled. RG III signed with one presumptive suitor in the Cleveland Browns, while Elway moved forward by trading for Mark Sanchez and is reportedly still working on a deal that would bring disgruntled 49er Colin Kaepernick to Denver in a trade, as reported by 24/7 Sports. Ironically enough it was the deal with the New York Jets that sent Ryan Clady to the Big Apple that has kept this deal alive.
“The Broncos have enough cap space to add [Kaepernick] if he comes at their desired price, according to Klis. Trading Ryan Clady to the Jets opened up more than $8.9 million in cap space. The team does not need room for its draft picks because their top 51 spots are already filled, which is all that matters when it comes to the salary cap.”
Which brings us back to Brian Hoyer. With the game of quarterback musical chairs starting to wind down, Hoyer’s release gives the Jets yet another, more affordable alternative to Fitzpatrick. And while Brian melted down in Houston’s playoff appearance this past season, the same could be said for Fitzpatrick, who folded under the pressure with his worse game all season up in Buffalo and the Jets on the cusp of making it into the dance.
Finally, it’s been rumored that the Jets may be looking to grab a quarterback in the this year’s draft with Carson Wentz or Jared Goff’s name being tossed around in conjunction with the team. And while the Rams recently traded up to the number one spot in exchange for a heaping of draft picks, ESPN’s Adam Schefter has reported on various outlets that Cleveland is not going to go quarterback after signing RG III. This leaves open the possibility that the Jets could be in the mix to grab either two remaining.
And it could be Brian Hoyer, not Ryan Fitzpatrick, that they tab with tutoring their future franchise quarterback.
[Photo by Scott Halleran/Getty Images]
