Brian Hoyer agrees in principle to 2-year 49ers deal.
The quarterback chips are falling, with the latest piece landing in San Franci
sco.
NFL Network's Ian Rapoport reported Wednesday that the 49ers have agreed in pr
inciple on a two-year deal with free-agent quarterback Brian Hoyer, per a sour
ce informed of the discussions.
The move reunites Hoyer with Kyle Shanahan, the newly minted Niners coach who
served as the quarterback's offensive coordinator with the Browns in 2014.
Hoyer chose San Francisco over the chance to play for the New York Jets. His d
ecision says plenty about the positive influence Shanahan's 49ers hire is havi
ng on this year's free-agent class. Along with Hoyer, the Niners on Wednesday
added free-agent wideout Marquise Goodwin and are expected to land free-agent
receiver Pierre Garcon, who played under Shanahan with the Redskins.
The question is whether signing Hoyer would slam the brakes on a potential tra
de with Washington for quarterback Kirk Cousins. If so, it shouldn't.
Hoyer played some of his best football under Shanahan in Cleveland, guiding th
e lowly Browns to an unlikely 6-3 record in the coach's rollout-heavy offense.
His play fell off sharply down the stretch, though, leaving Cleveland to turn
(unwisely) to Johnny Manziel.
A career journeyman, Hoyer was serviceable for Houston in 2015 before sufferin
g an apocalyptic meltdown in the playoffs. Last season with the Bears, the 31-
year-old played just five games before his campaign was cut short by a broken
arm.
Here in March, Hoyer is the only quarterback on San Francisco's roster. For Sh
anahan, it's far from perfect