BOSTON — It’s the time of year where Brian Hoyer is usually thinking about logistics. Instead of just focusing on the offseason, there are questions that are more critical. Like, where’s his family going to live? Not just which house, but which area of the country?
With two kids, moving constantly is a challenge. It’s also been a part of this 10-year veteran’s NFL experience. That’s just one of many reasons why Hoyer was so happy [...]
BOSTON — It’s the time of year where Brian Hoyer is usually thinking about logistics. Instead of just focusing on the offseason, there are questions that are more critical. Like, where’s his family going to live? Not just which house, but which area of the country?
With two kids, moving constantly is a challenge. It’s also been a part of this 10-year veteran’s NFL experience. That’s just one of many reasons why Hoyer was so happy to be at Boston Children’s Hospital on Monday. The Patriots' backup quarterback was serving up pancakes for pediatric patients as a part of the Patriots Foundation.
The event alone made Hoyer feel good, but so did the fact that he knows he and his family aren’t going anywhere this offseason. The quarterback is signed for the next two years with the Patriots and at this point, his sole focus is getting ready for the offseason. It’s a nice change for the 32-year-old, his wife and two kids.
“It’s great. This time of year, I’m usually used to getting ready to move somewhere new,” Hoyer said. “To be able to do something like this, be out in the community and not worry where my family is going to be moving to or where we’re going to be living and to be in this community, where I started my career… I knew I’d been here before, but I’ve been to so many different community events, it’s good to be back to where I’ve been before. I’ve been to this Children’s Hospital before, probably eight-nine years ago. So to be back in this community, it’s all worth it.”
After spending his first three NFL seasons in Foxboro, Hoyer has piled up the airline miles. He spent the 2012 season in Pittsburgh and Arizona. He didn’t have much time to get settled in either location. The quarterback was off to Cleveland for two years after that, but that stint with the Browns was his longest outside of New England.
Hoyer was in 2015, Chicago in 2016 and last offseason moved to San Francisco. All the moving has been hectic, which makes this low-key offseason refreshing.
“Going into my 10th year, you kind of get a routine down. It’s nice to not have a routine where I’m not moving,” Hoyer said. “I’m not trying to find a new place to work out and not trying to figure out that I’m leaving this house and going to this house, it’s nice to have that.”
On Monday, Hoyer, along with Deatrich Wise and Joe Cardona, donned aprons and chef's hats. They cooked and served pancakes, along with plenty of toppings for children in the hospital. The players also spent time with each the kid, taking photographs and signing autographs.
Hoyer was the veteran of the group — on and off the field. His pancakes, which featured an impressive attempt at Mickey Mouse, were a hit.
“It’s so simple for us to come down here and spend some time,” Hoyer said. “These kids are dealing with a lot of things. Just to put a smile on their face even for a half hour, hour, to get them away and have them not think about what they’re going through, it’s all worth it.”
For Hoyer, it was especially nice to give back to a community in which he’s familiar with. The quarterback is already looking forward to this offseason with the Patriots. He's currently the only backup quarterback on the team, of course that could change in free agency or the upcoming draft.
“It’s nice to be able to come into a locker room where I was the year before, which is something I really wanted for a long time,” Hoyer said. “To have it be here, it’s really special.”