If a team offered the Patriots fair market value in a trade for Brian Hoyer, should the Patriots make the deal?
Rick: With regards to Brian Hoyer, I don’t see New England trading him right away because of the unstable labor negotiations. In the two games I have seen Hoyer get significant time, he has proven he belongs on this team. Hoyer is a nice stopgap until the Pats have to take a franchise quarterback within the next 5-10 years. I am not sure if Hoyer has good value than a 3rd or 4th round pick if at all, but he is a nice guy to have on your team as a stopgap barring the unthinkable.
Jason: I think the answer to the Hoyer trade question might be determined by the length of the lockout. If the labor situation is not resolved before the draft, the Patriots wouldn’t be able to spend time getting a rookie acclimated to the NFL in time to serve as Brady’s backup for the upcoming season. I’m playing devil’s advocate a bit here, but the team could easily believe that year with a very capable backup QB might be more valuable than a mid-round pick or two in the 2012 draft, especially considering the talent level of the team and the number of early-round picks the team will make this year and next.
Derek: To me, trading Hoyer is a no-brainer. The #1 goal over the next 4-5 years has to be to win as many Super Bowls as possible while Brady is still in or near his prime. While Brian Hoyer is a solid backup, there’s very little he can do to move the Patriots towards that goal while he sits on the bench. I’d much rather see him traded for a player who will actually get on the field. One can make the argument, “What if Brady gets injured?” However, if Brady is injured badly enough that we need Brian Hoyer for an extended length of time, then I think we can pretty much forget about the Super Bowl that season. Yes, Matt Cassel came in and performed admirably in ’09, but he was essentially playing with the legendary Patriots roster from ’07, not the unpolished group of youngsters we currently have. I think it would be extremely difficult for Hoyer to come in and lead this team on a lengthy playoff run.
Don’t get me wrong, I’m high on Hoyer. I’m just high enough on him where I think we can get a pretty good player in return to help Brady win a 4th title.
Stephen: If a team offered a third-round pick or better, I would trade Hoyer in a second. While he has shown some solid abilities, it would simply be good business to flip an undrafted free agent for a high-round pick. In that case, I’d rather sign a veteran and draft another late-round option to be Brady’s backup and maximize Hoyer’s trade value now.
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