New England Patriots Place Second Round Tender on QB Brian Hoyer

Retaining quarterback Brian Hoyer may not seem like a priority, but the New England Patriots made sure that if he leaves, they'll get something for him.

According to Adam Caplan of Sirius XM NFL radio, the Patriots placed a second-round tender on Hoyer on Tuesday morning.

Something's Better Than Nothing

The Patriots are never afraid to part ways with a player they don't think is working out. But that's not the case at all with Hoyer.

ESPN Boston's Mike Reiss points this out spectacularly:

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The $1.92 million tender means that another team can sign Hoyer to an offer sheet. If the Patriots don't match the offer, then they would receive a second-round pick for Hoyer. This is unlikely to happen, but if it does, the Patriots would likely be pleased to receive such compensation for a player who figures to sign elsewhere as an unrestricted free agent next year to pursue a starting role (in which the Patriots could only receive as high as a third-round compensatory pick for losing him). 

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In that sense, the move feels slightly similar to when the Patriots placed the franchise tag on Matt Cassel only to pursue a trade with the Chiefs that netted New England a second-round draft choice.

The Patriots likely won't go looking for trade partners given the circumstance, but if someone makes Hoyer a big offer—which is not likely to happen—the Patriots would get something out of the situation. And something's way better than nothing.

And since the Patriots spent nothing on Hoyer, signing him as an undrafted free agent in 2009, that would be quite the return on investment.

Emergency Options

This move is not an indictment of Ryan Mallett. The Patriots' third-string quarterback didn't have a full offseason to learn the playbook, and if Hoyer stays with the team, this gives the Patriots an opportunity to further engross Mallett in the playbook and get him ready to take the reins.

If nothing else, the move is insurance against Mallett should he fail to progress as expected. At least that way, they can retain Hoyer as the potential heir to Tom Brady's starting role.

And speaking of Brady, you can never be too safe with back-up quarterback options (see: Manning; Peyton and Colts; Indianapolis).

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