Brian Hoyer in no rush for a new contract with Browns
The Cleveland Browns have found themselves in a bit of a predicament when it comes to quarterback Brian Hoyer.
The team wants to sign Hoyer, who is entering the final year of his contract, to a new deal. That’s good. Even if Johnny Manziel lights it up during preseason and wins the starting quarterback job, it is in the Browns best interest to keep another viable starting quarterback on the roster.
And with today’s rookie contracts much more manageable, it is also financially feasible to do so, especially if the contracts signed by Matt Cassel (two years, $10 million) and Chad Henne (two years, $8 million) are starting points.
While the Browns are willing to deal, Hoyer may not be in quite such of a hurry.
“It will be a very difficult deal to do,” said Joe Linta, Hoyer’s agent. “We’re always open to talking with the Browns, but we’re content to wait and see what happens down the road.”
Well that’s not so good.
It makes sense on Hoyer’s part to wait this out as much as he can (his agent tossed out Nov. 1 as a possible date). There is a very good chance that Hoyer will at least open the season as the Browns starting quarterback, and if he plays well it will only increase his value. If you are going to bet on anyone, it’s always a good idea to bet on yourself. Even if Hoyer were to sit the whole year, teams are constantly looking for quarterbacks in the NFL; someone will be willing to pay him.
As for the Browns, there isn’t much they could have done before now, thanks to Hoyer’s season-ending knee injury from last year. While we would have been cool with them moving a little quicker on a new contract with Hoyer, they really had to wait until they saw him in minicamp to find out how well he is recovering from his ACL tear.
In the long run, it may be for the best for both sides to let this thing play out a bit before anyone makes a decision. The last thing the Browns need to do is get into another Derek Anderson-Brady Quinn situation, where they overpay for a player with a limited track record rather than turning the team over to a quarterback the team invested a No. 1 draft pick in.
If Hoyer struggles, the Browns may actually save a couple of dollars if they want to resign him. If he plays well, the team can reward him or let someone else do it with a new contract.
Much like the Alex Mack situation, these things have a way of working themselves out.
For now, we’re going to remain cautiously optimistic that this will have a beneficial conclusion for all involved.
(Photo courtesy of The Associated Press)
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