Raiders Rumors: Brian Hoyer Released amid Russell Wilson Free Agency Links

The Las Vegas Raiders released veteran quarterback Brian Hoyer on Friday, according to ESPN's Adam Schefter.

After benching veteran Jimmy Garoppolo in favor of rookie fourth-round pick Aidan O'Connell last season, the Raiders figure to be in the market for a veteran signal-caller this offseason.

Schefter reported Friday that free-agent quarterback Russell Wilson has met with the Pittsburgh Steelers and New York Giants, and is expected to meet with the Raiders as well following his release from the Denver Broncos.

Hoyer, 38, is a journeyman who has appeared in regular-season games for eight different teams during his 15-year career.

He is perhaps best known for spending parts of eight seasons with the New England Patriots in a backup capacity, mostly behind future Hall of Famer Tom Brady. It was with New England that Hoyer won a Super Bowl in 2018.

For much of his time with the Pats, Hoyer played under offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels. Last offseason, McDaniels brought Hoyer to Vegas, as he was hired to be the Raiders' head coach in 2022.

Hoyer appeared in three games and made one start last season, going 0-1 and completing 54.8 percent of his passes for 231 yards with no touchdowns and two interceptions.

McDaniels was fired after a 3-5 start last season, and once Antonio Pierce took over as interim head coach, he essentially benched both Hoyer and Garoppolo for the remainder of the year and rolled with O'Connell as the starter.

With one of Hoyer's biggest supporters out of the equation, it was widely expected that the Raiders would move on from him.

Given his age and lack of recent success, it is possible that Hoyer has played in his final NFL game.

While Hoyer will best be remembered as a backup, he made several starts during his career, going 16-25. In 79 appearances overall, Hoyer has completed 59.3 percent of his passing attempts for 10,899 yards, 53 touchdowns and 37 picks.

His best individual season came in 2015 when he went 5-4 as the Houston Texans' starter, throwing for 2,606 yards, 19 touchdowns and seven interceptions. Hoyer led the Texans to the playoffs that season and started Houston's loss to the Kansas City Chiefs.

Hoyer's release leaves the Raiders with O'Connell and Anthony Brown as the top quarterbacks on the roster assuming Garoppolo is released as expected.

Top quarterback options available in free agency include Wilson, Kirk Cousins and Baker Mayfield. The Raiders also own the No. 13 overall pick in the 2024 NFL draft, which could put them in position to take a quarterback such as Michigan's J.J. McCarthy, Washington's Michael Penix Jr. or Oregon's Bo Nix.