What Bill Belichick had to say about the decision to release Brian Hoyer
"That's the hardest part of the job."
The Patriots’ roster cuts produced several tough decisions for Bill Belichick and the team’s coaching staff ahead of the 2019 regular season.
One of the highest profile moves came at the quarterback position, where New England cut veteran backup Brian Hoyer in favor of rookie Jarrett Stidham. In an interview with WEEI’s “Ordway, Merloni & Fauria” on Tuesday, Belichick was asked if the Patriots — who ultimately released Hoyer — pursued a possible trade instead.
“Yeah, again there were a lot of considerations with him and with other players on the team,” said Belichick. “But it is what it is, so we’ll just leave it at that.”
When asked if Hoyer was well liked amongst his teammates, Belichick responded, “Yeah, of course.”
That New England cut the veteran instead of seeking a trade allowed Hoyer to land in a favorable situation: The Indianapolis Colts (who are now set to start former Patriots quarterback Jacoby Brissett after Andrew Luck’s surprising retirement announcement).
The hosts mentioned to Belichick that it appeared he had done Hoyer a favor by releasing him.
“Well look, a lot of times situations work out well for everybody,” said Belichick.
The actual conversation between Belichick and Hoyer over the decision to release him is one that — like other cuts — the Patriots’ coach found difficult.
“It’s never easy to have conversations when you cant keep a player on your team,” Belichick explained. “That’s the hardest part of the job. But I’ll just keep the private conversations between myself and Brian.”
