The Colts have their backup quarterback.
Brian Hoyer has signed with Indianapolis, with multiple reports calling it a three-year, $12 million deal with $9 million guaranteed. The three-year term of the contract is somewhat surprising, and it is of course quite possible that Hoyer, who turns 34 next month, won’t actually spend three years with the Colts.
But Hoyer is there for this year, where he’ll open the season as Jacoby Brissett’s backup. Brissett is heading into the final year of his rookie contract, so the Colts aren’t invested in him long-term. If Brissett struggles this year, the Colts may be looking to draft a quarterback next year, and they may see Hoyer as the kind of veteran backup they’d want behind a young quarterback next year.
Andrew Luck’s surprise retirement sent the Colts scrambling for someone to back up Brissett, and after the Patriots cut Hoyer, he immediately became their first choice.
The Colts are Hoyer’s eighth NFL team; he has previously played for the Patriots, Steelers, Cardinals, Browns, Texans, Bears and 49ers.