Brian Hoyer to Bears: Latest Contract Details, Comments and Reaction

Quarterback Brian Hoyer has found a new team, as the Chicago Bears announced they've reached a one-year deal with the veteran quarterback. Ian Rapoport of NFL Network noted the deal is for $2 million.

Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports first reported the news, while Adam Caplan of ESPN confirmed the report. 

Caplan added the Bears were one of six interested teams.

This comes after the Houston Texans released Hoyer on April 17, right before offseason conditioning started, per Rapoport, who also noted the Texans were trying to find a trade partner for Hoyer before they decided to part ways with the signal-caller.

Houston signed Brock Osweiler during the offseason to be the starting quarterback, and Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle noted the Texans saved more than $5 million against the salary cap by releasing Hoyer.

Houston may have no longer needed Hoyer, but his new team can take solace in the fact he turned in what was probably the best regular season of his career during the 2015 campaign. His 19 touchdown passes were a career best, and he cut down his interceptions from 13 to seven.

However, fans likely remember his dreadful postseason performance in Houston’s 30-0 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs. He tossed four interceptions, lost one of his two fumbles and never looked comfortable under center as the game quickly got out of hand.

Frank Schwab of Shutdown Corner recognized that even though Hoyer brings value to the table, that postseason game was the end of his career with the Texans: “A lot of teams don't have a backup better than Hoyer, and a few teams might not have a starter better than Hoyer. But after that awful ending to last season, Hoyer wasn't going to be around in Houston any longer.”

Despite the nightmarish postseason performance, Hoyer took drastic steps from a statistical perspective the past two years when he had more opportunities. He even threw for 3,326 yards in 2014:

Season	Team	Games Played	Passing Yards	Passing Touchdowns	Interceptions
2009	New England Patriots	5	142	0	0
2010	New England Patriots	5	122	1	1
2011	New England Patriots	3	22	0	0
2012	Arizona Cardinals	2	330	1	2
2013	Cleveland Browns	3	615	5	3
2014	Cleveland Browns	14	3,326	12	13
2015	Houston Texans	11	2,606	19	7

Hoyer is a journeyman who has played for four different teams in seven seasons in the league. Still, he appeared to turn the corner in 2014 in terms of yardage and in 2015 in terms of his ratio of touchdowns to interceptions. He will look to continue that ascent if the Bears give him a chance to play. 

He was also 5-4 as a starter in 2015.

There are still legitimate questions about whether he can be a true No. 1 difference-maker, but he has enough talent to get a team to the postseason in the right situation. Last year’s Texans featured a formidable defense that was third in yards allowed per game and seventh in points allowed per game, and Hoyer did just enough to help them reach the playoffs.

If nothing else, he is a serviceable backup with plenty of experience. Even if he brings a limited ceiling, his mere presence on the depth chart behind Jay Cutler will help Chicago avoid injury disaster under center and remain competitive if the defense is also strong on the other side.