The San Francisco 49ers signed quarterback Brian Hoyer to a two-year deal, ending much uncertainty at this precarious position. Niner Noise gives you his background after this NFL free agency signing.
The San Francisco 49ers were heavily active during the opening waves of NFL free agency, and one of the more pressing moves new general manager John Lynch needed to do was address the quarterback situation.
And he did that by adding journeyman veteran Brian Hoyer.
Hoyer, 31 years old, broke into the league with the New England Patriots as an undrafted free agent in 2009 after his collegiate playing days at Michigan State.
San Francisco 49ers
After spending three years in New England, Hoyer went on to play with the Arizona Cardinals, Cleveland Browns, Houston Texans and, most recently, the Chicago Bears.
During his pro career, Hoyer has essentially only been a regular starter in two seasons — 2014 and 2015 with the Browns and Texans, respectively.
One should point out Hoyer’s 2014 campaign was served under now-49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan, who was Cleveland’s offensive coordinator at the time.
Undoubtedly, this was a reason why Lynch brought Hoyer in. The 6-foot-3, 215-pound quarterback has experience working within Shanahan’s offense. That will prove valuable, both in the upcoming season and as a likely mentor to a prospective QB in the 2017 NFL Draft or later.
Breaking Down the Numbers
Mostly as a career backup, Hoyer’s numbers don’t suggest he’ll be a franchise savior for San Francisco. He’s a stopgap option, and that’s fine.
So let’s take a look at the numbers:
| Year | Age | Tm | Pos | G | GS | QBrec | Cmp | Att | Cmp% | Yds | TD | Int | Lng | Y/A | Y/C | Y/G | Rate | QBR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2009 | 24 | NWE | 5 | 0 | 19 | 27 | 70.4 | 142 | 0 | 0 | 17 | 5.3 | 7.5 | 28.4 | 82.6 | 55.6 | ||
| 2010 | 25 | NWE | 5 | 0 | 7 | 15 | 46.7 | 122 | 1 | 1 | 42 | 8.1 | 17.4 | 24.4 | 69.3 | 61.7 | ||
| 2011 | 26 | NWE | 3 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 100.0 | 22 | 0 | 0 | 22 | 22.0 | 22.0 | 7.3 | 118.7 | 88.4 | ||
| 2012 | 27 | ARI | qb | 2 | 1 | 0-1-0 | 30 | 53 | 56.6 | 330 | 1 | 2 | 53 | 6.2 | 11.0 | 165.0 | 65.8 | 36.1 |
| 2013 | 28 | CLE | qb | 3 | 3 | 3-0-0 | 57 | 96 | 59.4 | 615 | 5 | 3 | 47 | 6.4 | 10.8 | 205.0 | 82.6 | 53.9 |
| 2014 | 29 | CLE | QB | 14 | 13 | 7-6-0 | 242 | 438 | 55.3 | 3326 | 12 | 13 | 81 | 7.6 | 13.7 | 237.6 | 76.5 | 42.5 |
| 2015 | 30 | HOU | QB | 11 | 9 | 5-4-0 | 224 | 369 | 60.7 | 2606 | 19 | 7 | 49 | 7.1 | 11.6 | 236.9 | 91.4 | 56.1 |
| 2016 | 31 | CHI | qb | 6 | 5 | 1-4-0 | 134 | 200 | 67.0 | 1445 | 6 | 0 | 64 | 7.2 | 10.8 | 240.8 | 98.0 | 61.1 |
| Career | 49 | 31 | 16-15-0 | 714 | 1199 | 59.5 | 8608 | 44 | 26 | 81 | 7.2 | 12.1 | 175.7 | 84.8 | ||||
| 3 yrs | NWE | 13 | 0 | 27 | 43 | 62.8 | 286 | 1 | 1 | 42 | 6.7 | 10.6 | 22.0 | 80.2 | ||||
| 2 yrs | CLE | 17 | 16 | 10-6-0 | 299 | 534 | 56.0 | 3941 | 17 | 16 | 81 | 7.4 | 13.2 | 231.8 | 77.6 | |||
| 1 yr | ARI | 2 | 1 | 0-1-0 | 30 | 53 | 56.6 | 330 | 1 | 2 | 53 | 6.2 | 11.0 | 165.0 | 65.8 | |||
| 1 yr | CHI | 6 | 5 | 1-4-0 | 134 | 200 | 67.0 | 1445 | 6 | 0 | 64 | 7.2 | 10.8 | 240.8 | 98.0 | |||
| 1 yr | HOU | 11 | 9 | 5-4-0 | 224 | 369 | 60.7 | 2606 | 19 | 7 | 49 | 7.1 | 11.6 | 236.9 | 91.4 |
Provided by Pro-Football-Reference.com: View Original Table
Generated 3/11/2017.
Hoyer’s best season came in 2015 in Houston. But this was a year after he worked with Shanahan in Cleveland.
While Hoyer’s efforts with the Browns weren’t anything close to stellar, one has to be reminded how devoid of talent Cleveland was when both he and Shanahan were in town.
Hoyer did manage to appear in six games with the Bears last year, when Chicago was dealing with injuries to starting QB Jay Cutler. Pro Football Focus gave Hoyer a respectable 81.1 overall grade, which would have ranked No. 15 in the NFL between quarterbacks Alex Smith and Ryan Tannehill.
In comparison, former 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick posted a 61.6 overall PFF grade — good for 26th.
In last 30 starts, Brian Hoyer has a record of 16-14 & averaged 244 ypg. By comparison, Kaepernick was 8-22 w 203 ypg in his last 30 #49ers
— Al Sacco (@AlSacco49) March 9, 2017
Why the 49ers Brought Hoyer In
According to Kevin Jones of KNBR 680, the 49ers brought Hoyer in with full plans of having him start.
Of course the Niners could make additional moves, even though a trade for Washington Redskins QB Kirk Cousins seems less likely every day. But the NFL Draft is a viable option, and it wouldn’t be a shock to see Hoyer act as a mentor for a rookie QB much like one Steve DeBerg did for a young Joe Montana many years ago.
Shanahan is confident in his new quarterback too.
“It always starts with the tape,” Shanahan said, via Eric Branch of SFGate.com. “And anybody who studies tape on Brian, wherever he’s been, he’s done a great job.”
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There’s something else to the mix too.
Journeymen quarterbacks, especially undrafted free agents, surely need to push a little harder than a QB with oodles of talent. It’s why a quarterback like Hoyer has managed to stay around in the NFL for so long despite the average length of a pro’s career being what, 3.3 years?
This will play into account what the Niners want to do at the position over the next two seasons. Rather than trying to land a flashy quarterback right away, Lynch and Shanahan are bringing in someone who understands the system and can act as the teacher for San Francisco’s next franchise signal-caller.
Next: Projecting 49ers 2017 Starting Lineup After Free Agency
And now we just have to wait and see if it all works out well.