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While it understated, the role Brian Hoyer played for the New England Patriots and Mac Jones‘ development was invaluable. Hoyer is 36 and headed for free agency. According to USA Today’s Henry McKenna, Hoyer isn’t planning on retiring.
The question for the Patriots is should they re-sign Jones’ mentor? The now-former Patriots offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels gets a lot of credit for getting Jones’ career off to a strong start.
The accolades are well earned and McDaniels landed his head-coaching job with the Las Vegas Raiders largely on the strength of his work with the rookie quarterback. While McDaniels did a great job with Jones, we shouldn’t undersell the importance and impact of having a veteran like Hoyer on the roster.
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Why Retaining Brian Hoyer is Important
Hoyer’s familiarity with the offense and Patriots’ culture proved to be valuable. Even more, Hoyer’s willingness to accept backup and mentor roles were arguably most important.
The Patriots likely released Cam Newton before the start of the season because the team knew the rookie wouldn’t have been as comfortable with a veteran with such a big presence on the roster.
Hoyer is a do-your-job guy, and that worked in his favor.
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With McDaniels elsewhere, the Patriots shouldn’t be too quick to remove every layer of Jones’ comfort system in his second season. Jones hasn’t had enough experience or success to be turned completely loose.
New England and Jones could still benefit greatly from Hoyer remaining in the fold. A new OC will be coming and he’ll bring his own voice, but Jones needs to hear some of the same voices he heard as a rookie in 2022.
What Would That Mean For Jarrett Stidham?
If the Patriots are going to stick with Hoyer as their backup quarterback, it is clearer than ever that Jarrett Stidham has no chance of ever playing any meaningful games for New England.
Stidham is still just 25 years old, but after missing all of 2021, the Auburn alum has thrown just 48 passes in his two seasons in the NFL. He has completed 24 of those attempts while tossing 2 TDs and 3 interceptions.
To put it plainly, he hasn’t impressed with the opportunities he’s had thus far. New England may not takers for Stidham if they make him available for a trade. If that’s the case, they could save themselves a little over $800,000 by releasing him.
Stidham is set to make $965,000 in 2022, but he only has $159,000 on his dead cap hit. Don’t be surprised to see him sign with the Houston Texans or even with the Raiders if he’s released. He might get an opportunity to compete for a roster spot with one of those teams where the front office or head coach is familiar with him.
McDaniels knows him from his days as the OC, and the Texans’ general manager Nick Caserio is a former member of the Patriots’ front office. Both of those men might still believe in Stidham enough to give him a second chance.
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