San Francisco 49ers: Brian Hoyer the Perfect Quarterback for Right Now

The San Francisco 49ers’ least splashy signing may have been quarterback Brian Hoyer, but he’s also the perfect option for them right now.

Slates don’t come much cleaner than the one that John Lynch and Kyle Shanahan were dealt as they took their posts as the general manager and head coach of the San Francisco 49ers, respectively. After winning two games in the 2016 season, it was time for a full rebuild. Armed with draft picks and an ample amount of cap room, that’s what the 49ers set out to begin.

Looking at the 49ers roster coming out of 2016, there were very few areas that didn’t need to be addressed. The challenge for Lynch and Shanahan would be figuring out the most prudent strategy to do so. What needs should be addressed in the draft, and which would best be met by signing free agents? Those questions were most prevalent concerning the quarterback position.

Often referred to (rightfully so) as the most important position on the field, the Niners began the new NFL year with no quarterbacks on their roster with both Colin Kaepernick and Blaine Gabbert departing. Unfortunately for them, the quarterback market in free agency was quite tepid from the start. Mike Glennon was the biggest available name, but the 49ers seemed to have little chance of signing him as soon as the legal tampering period began.

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As such, the 49ers were essentially left with two options. First, they could try and trade for a young (or younger) signal-caller like Jimmy Garoppolo or Kirk Cousins. The other option would be to sign a veteran stop-gap, then draft a quarterback for the future. It should be noted that veterans-to-be-released such as Jay Cutler and Tony Romo weren’t included in the equation. They have no business on a team in San Francisco’s current state.

Though they tried to trade for Cousins (obviously to no avail), Brian Hoyer was ultimately the solution Lynch and Shanahan landed on. Signing the veteran to a two-year, $12 million contract, they now have a starting quarterback for at least the 2017 NFL season. Frankly, they found the perfect option for where their roster is at and will be come September.

All of the cap room and draft capital in the world weren’t going to make the 49ers a winning team in the 2017 campaign. There are simply too many holes, not enough depth, and not enough top-tier talent on the roster for that to be plausible. Lynch and Shanahan were clearly aware of this and approached free agency as such.

To describe the free agency haul of the 49ers through the first week generally, San Francisco added a group of consistent veterans while taking a gamble on a handful of younger players. With how much cap room they have, there are still more moves on the horizon. However, it was clear that, at the very least, the new 49ers regime tried to construct steadiness on the roster. That’s what players like Pierre Garcon and Kyle Juszczyk provide, as well as Hoyer.

The purpose of such move is to establish a culture with this team that isn’t mired in negativity throughout and incompetency on the field. By establishing and bringing in a core of veterans, the 49ers will at least be competitive after they add more young talent through the draft. However, Hoyer is the key.

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Having worked with Shanahan previously, Hoyer will set the tone and example for this organization. He’ll guide the younger players in how to follow the head coach’s directions while also providing veteran mentorship and leadership. Moreover, he proved last season when healthy with the Chicago Bears that he can be a solid player that doesn’t individually cost teams game. That’s what you need in the locker room for a franchise that’s starting from the bottom.

Presumably, the 49ers will also select a quarterback in the 2017 NFL Draft. Whether that selection comes at No. 2, No. 34 or at some other spot, they are going to take someone they can try to mold for the future behind Hoyer and Matt Barkley, their other free agency signing at the position. With the arrival of Hoyer and Barkley, though, the Niners ensure that whichever rookie they prefer won’t be thrown to the wolves.

Throwing a young quarterback to the wolves on this team as currently constructed would be worst-case scenario. Sure, he’d be getting reps—but how quality are those reps behind an offensive line that still needs work and an offense still taking form? Not very. What’s more, the skinny on this quarterback class is that they’re a group of guys who, by most accounts, aren’t sure-fire Day 1 starters in this league. So that’s yet another reason as to why starting them right away in a less-than-ideal situation would be detrimental.

That’s perhaps the biggest factor in making the Hoyer signing the perfect one for this team. For all the previously listed reasons—familiarity with Shanahan, veteran experience, steady play—he’s the perfect guy to hold the position down while a young quarterback takes shape. Hoyer’s two-year deal is even more indicative that this is the direction this team is intending to head.

Next: Early Free Agency Grades for Each Team

Brian Hoyer isn’t going to be in the MVP discussion by any stretch. In fact, there’s a good chance that he endures more hardships than he did with Chicago last season. What he will do, though, is be the proverbial kevlar vest for the hopeful franchise quarterback that San Francisco drafts. He’ll take the lumps, the criticism and the leadership role necessary for that rookie to have the proper time to develop. As the 49ers roster as a whole develops also, that makes Hoyer the perfect quarterback in San Francisco for right now.