The San Francisco 49ers appear set to add a quarterback to the roster. Ian Rapoport is reporting the team is signing Brian Hoyer to a contract. Once free agency opens and Hoyer’s deal becomes official, he becomes the first quarterback on the roster under head coach Kyle Shanahan. Albert Breer is reporting the deal is for two years.
Hoyer spent the 2016 season with the Chicago Bears, and was quite solid in six opportunities (five starts). He completed 67 percent of his passes for 1,445 yards and six touchdowns, with no interceptions. Even with a small sample size, that’s a pretty solid performance.
More importantly, he spent the 2014 season playing for then Cleveland Browns offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan. In that season, Hoyer started 13 games, and although he only completed 55.3 percent of his passes, he threw for 3,326 yards with 12 touchdowns and 13 interceptions. Not great numbers, but that was enough to drag the Browns offense kicking and screaming along.
If it is only a two-year deal, I am perfectly content with this. They need a short-term option, and Hoyer is fine in that role. Nobody thinks he is a long-term option, including Hoyer himself. It’s a band-aid while they try and figure out the future. I can live with that.