The New England Patriots added a fourth quarterback in Brian Hoyer on Monday, according to Hoyer’s agent. With one veteran, Cam Newton, and two developmental players, Mac Jones and Jarrett Stidham, the common refrain surrounding Hoyer’s signing was, why?
Hoyer got a start for New England during the 2020 season while Newton was on the COVID-19/reserve list, and in that loss to the Kansas City Chiefs, he made rookie mistakes in a game where the Patriots clearly hoped he’d be a conservative game-manager. Hoyer was supposed to be a stabilizing force in the event of uncertainty with Newton. And Hoyer couldn’t deliver — at least in that one start. Of course, the Chiefs made a Super Bowl appearance — they were arguably the second-best team in the NFL. Hoyer wasn’t the only quarterback to struggle against Kansas City.
But because the Patriots benched Hoyer in that game and then made Stidham the backup in the games that followed, New England seemed to signal it viewed Stidham as a more viable option. Signing Hoyer, however, shows the Patriots still have faith he can compete for a backup spot, which means New England is probably preparing for any one of the following scenarios.
