NFL Player News

Hoyer and New England agreed to terms on a one-year contract Sunday, Jim McBride of The Boston Globe reports.

Hoyer will head back to New England after spending two prior stints with the club in 2010-11 and 2017-18. In four appearances for the Colts last season, the veteran completed 35 of 65 passes for 372 yards, four touchdowns and four interceptions. This is a great opportunity for the 34-year-old, as the Patriots only have the inexperienced Jarrett Stidham and Cody Kessler currently on the roster.

The Colts intend to keep Brissett on the roster in 2020, despite the team's recent signing of Philip Rivers, Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com reports.

Brissett was awarded a two-year, $30 million extension last September, an indication the Colts at least viewed him as a capable bridge option following the surprise retirement of Andrew Luck. The signal-caller got off to a strong start to the 2019 campaign but saw his production tail off down the stretch, finishing with an 18:6 TD:INT, 6.6 yards per attempt and a 60.9 percent completion rate across 15 games. The Colts' decision to hand Rivers a one-year, $25 million contract in free agency signals that he's the starter entering 2020, but the organization still apparently views Brissett as a valuable insurance option for the 38-year-old. Brissett will take home $7 million guaranteed if he remains on the roster through the end of Sunday, so if no trade is executed before then, the 27-year-old should stick with Indianapolis all season.

Hoyer was released by the Colts on Saturday, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reports.

The Colts' decision to add Philip Rivers ultimately made Hoyer expendable. The release sure couldn't come at a better time for the long-time veteran, particularly considering the Patriots, who Hoyer spent five seasons with over two separate stints, only have the inexperienced Jarrett Stidham and the disappointing Cody Kessler currently on the roster.

With Tom Brady officially a member of the Buccaneers, Stidham and Cody Kessler are currently the only QBs the Patriots have under contract for 2020.

That said, it seems likely the team will add a quarterback or two via trade, free agency or the NFL Draft. Per ESPN's Mike Reiss, Stidham, who turns 24 in August, "is considered mature beyond his years" and "has shown a knack for making plays on the move," but it remains to be seen if the Patriots will look create a scenario in which the 2019 fourth-rounder has a chance to immediately claim the top job, or one in which veteran competition is brought in with an eye toward affording Stidham added time to develop into a reliable NFL starter.

The Seahawks, Cardinals and Broncos have all contacted the XFL's Houston Roughnecks to ask about Walker, Mark Berman of FOX 26 reports.

Walker and wide receiver Cam Phillips were the big stars of the XFL, leading Houston to a 5-0 record before the rest of the season was suspended. Walker led the league in passing yards (1,338) and touchdowns (15), completing 64.7 percent of his throws while tossing just four interceptions. He previously spent time with the Colts' practice squad in 2017, 2018 and 2019, never quite managing to secure the No. 2 quarterback job. It sounds like it won't be long before he gets another shot in the NFL.

McCoy is signing with the Giants, Mike Garafolo of NFL Network reports.

The Giants also have Alex Tanney under contract, but McCoy should be in good position to win the No. 2 quarterback job behind starter Daniel Jones. The 33-year-old has 28 NFL starts to his name, but just three of those have come in the past five years.

The Cardinals provided Murray with another proven wide receiver following the acquisition of DeAndre Hopkins from the Texans.

Despite having few reliable WR options beyond Larry Fitzgerald and Christian Kirk and an uneven ground game until the midseason addition of Kenyan Drake in 2019, Murray completed 64 percent of his passes en route to 3,722 yards (15th in the NFL), 20 touchdowns (21st) and 12 interceptions (tied for 11th) as a rookie. Murray also ripped off 544 yards at 5.8 YPC -- both good for second among QBs behind last year's MVP Lamar Jackson -- and added four more scores on the ground. It's safe to consider that stat line as Murray's floor, and the 22-year-old's ceiling has been boosted with Hopkins, a perennial 1,000-yard receiver who's averaged 1.1 20-plus-yard catches per game in seven pro seasons, on board.

Rush signed a one-year, $2.1 million contract with the Cowboys on Wednesday, Todd Archer of ESPN.com reports.

The Cowboys locked Rush up for 2020 via a restricted free agent tender, putting him on track to return as the team's No. 2 option behind Dak Prescott. The Cowboys could still bring in competition for the backup gig during the offseason, and it's worth noting that second-year man Clayton Thorson will be retained for at least another year after having signed a reserve/futures contract.

The Chargers are planning to move forward with Taylor as the lone veteran quarterback on their roster, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reports.

The Chargers tried to sign Tom Brady but lost out to the Buccaneers. Rather than pivoting to a lesser veteran, the team will move forward with Taylor and Easton Stick, while presumably hoping to add an early round draft pick at the position. It's also possible the Chargers change their mind and add another veteran, though Wednesday's report suggests it won't be a priority.

Driskel (hamstring) agreed Wednesday with the Broncos on a two-year, $5 million contract, Mike Klis of 9News Denver reports.

Driskel showed that he may just be more than just a competent backup across three starts for Detroit last season, and he'll now hold down the fort behind Drew Lock in Denver. The addition of Driskel makes it increasingly more likely that the Broncos part ways with veteran signal caller-caller Joe Flacco (neck) ahead of the 2020 campaign.