HOUSTON — The Houston Texans have cut quarterback Brian Hoyer.
The Texans announced the move Tuesday, little more than a month after signing Brock Osweiler to a four-year, $72 million contract. Houston also released quarterback B.J. Daniels.
Hoyer signed a two-year contract before last season, but his five-turnover debacle in a 30-0 playoff loss to Kansas City suggested his days in Houston were numbered.
Hoyer was benched in the season opener and the Texans started Ryan Mallett for four games. But he won just one of those games and soon Hoyer was starting again and Mallett was released after missing a team flight. The Texans had to start both T.J. Yates and Brandon Weeden late in the season when Hoyer missed three games because of two concussions in less than a month.
Osweiler agreed to leave the Broncos when free agency began despite being the presumed replacement for the retired Peyton Manning.
Hoyer will be visiting the New York Jets on Wednesday as the team does its due diligence at the postion. The Jets and incumbent quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick, coming off a career-best season, have been far apart in contract negotiations.
Coincidentally, Fitzpatrick was with the Texans before joining the Jets.
Hoyer is a seven-year veteran, an undrafted free agent who spent his first three seasons as Tom Brady’s backup in New England. He went to Arizona in 2012 and got his first NFL start, then spent two seasons in Cleveland — he’s a native of North Olmsted, Ohio — and was a Browns rarity: Hoyer had a winning record as a starter for the Browns when he was healthy. He went 3-0 in 2013 and 7-6 in 2014.
He then moved to Houston when the Browns brought in another veteran, Josh McCown. Hoyer had some spells of good play for the Texans, but the playoff meltdown and Osweiler’s signing ended his stay in Houston.
