The New England Patriots needed another quarterback after the departure of Tom Brady.

Who better to help the quarterback room than someone who knows the system?

According to several reporters, including NFL.com's Ian Rapoport, Brian Hoyer '04 will be returning to the New England Patriots. The team had not officially announced the news as of Monday afternoon, but Mike Dussault of Patriots.com reported the news. 

Hoyer's return to New England will be his third tour of duty with the Patriots. The former Wildcat quarterback started his career in Foxborough from 2009-11 and returned to the Patriots from 2017-18. Hoyer's second stint ended in a championship, as he became the first Saint Ignatius grad to win a Super Bowl as a player. 

"Some things fell into place with Tom Brady leaving. What the Patriots have left at quarterback, it's a good idea to bring Brian in," said the Wildcats' head football coach, Chuck Kyle '69. "He knows the system. New England will work on getting another QB. But we've seen this in pro football – the Browns are doing the same thing – you bring in an experienced guy who can develop the quarterback room. In a pinch, Brian can go in there and totally run their offense."

Indeed, Hoyer is a great backup who can enter any situation and perform solidly. Besides his stints with the Patriots, Hoyer has also played for the Arizona Cardinals (2012), Cleveland Browns (2013-14), Houston Texans (2015), Chicago Bears (2016), San Francisco 49ers (2017), and Indianapolis Colts (2019). 

"The coaches in the NFL respect the way Brian handles himself," said Coach Kyle. "That certainly is coming in loud and clear. Brian is a very valuable contributor in any QB room. But this is a comfortable move back, especially since Josh McDaniels is still there. He'll pick everything up quickly. Brian doesn't have too much anxiety over this."

Kyle is indeed very proud of his former signalcaller.

And also, he's happy that Brian has a wonderful support system in place. Kudos also need to be given to his wife and kids for being willing to move frequently.  

"God bless his wife and family to live the dream here and let him continue on," Kyle said. "At any point in the last few years, Brian could have said 'enough' and hung up the cleats. But he wanted to keep playing. He has wonderful support to keep going. And also, Brian stays on top of his game, with the physical and mental conditioning it requires to play at that level. I'm proud of him."