Colts sign Brian Hoyer as backup QB, give Jacoby Brissett $30m extension

A little more than a week after Andrew Luck’s abrupt retirement, the Indianapolis Colts sorted out their quarterback situation Monday.

Jacoby Brissett will be the starter for the foreseeable future, agreeing to a two-year extension, and Brian Hoyer will be Brissett’s backup.

Just two days after being released by the New England Patriots, the Colts signed the 33-year-old Hoyer. ESPN reported the three-year deal was worth $12 million.

The only other quarterbacks on the roster are Phillip Walker, who is on the practice squad, and Chad Kelly, who will miss the first two games while serving a league suspension.

Brissett, a third-round pick in 2016, also spent one season in New England before the Colts acquired him in a trade on cutdown weekend in 2017, but the two ex-Patriots never were teammates.

A person with knowledge of the deal told the Associated Press that Brissett had signed a contract extension. Details were not immediately available, though the Indianapolis Star reported it was a two-year deal worth $30 million, with $20 million guaranteed.

Brissett was entering the final year of his rookie deal this season.

Indianapolis has fielded trade offers for Brissett, but opted to keep him on the roster this season — just in case something happened to Luck, whose battle with injuries began in the 2015 season.

Brissett went 4-11 as the starter in 2017 when Luck missed all 16 games. A year ago, with Luck back, Brissett threw only four passes.

But in his second season under coach Frank Reich, the Colts have seen significant improvements in the fourth-year quarterback who was a third-round draft pick of the Patriots in 2016.

‘‘We did have an hour-plus conversation about his role, about our team and about the situation he is stepping into,’’ Reich said Sunday. ‘‘He handled it just how I thought. I mean this guy is a pro. So it was more very conversational. It wasn’t a ‘Rah-rah’ thing. It was more centered around, ‘Be yourself. You don’t have to be a hero.’ ’’

Brissett has completed 312 of 528 passes for 3,500 yards with 13 touchdowns and seven interceptions.

He’s also expected to play with a much stronger supporting cast this season than 2017 when he was sacked a league-high 52 times. Indianapolis allowed the fewest sacks in the league (18) last year.

Hoyer originally made New England’s roster as an undrafted rookie out of Michigan State in 2009. In his first three seasons with the Patriots behind Tom Brady, he played in 13 games but never started. In 2012, the Steelers signed Hoyer after their top two quarterbacks got hurt and he finished the season with Arizona, which claimed Hoyer off waivers in December.

Hoyer got his most extensive experience with Cleveland in 2013 and 2014, where he went 10-6 as the starter. The next two seasons, in Houston and Chicago, Hoyer was 5-4 and 1-4 as the starter before going 0-6 with San Francisco in 2017. The 49ers released Hoyer after acquiring Jimmy Garoppolo in a trade with New England.

That opened the door for Hoyer’s return to New England, where he spent the rest of the 2017 season and all of last season.

The Patriots released Hoyer on Saturday, allowing the Colts to bring him to town Sunday and sign him Monday. The Colts open the season Sunday at the Los Angeles Chargers.

Hoyer has completed 838 of 1,412 passes with 9,902 yards, 48 touchdowns, and 30 interceptions in 10 NFL seasons.

McCoy officially joins Chiefs

The Chiefs are under no preconceptions that the LeSean McCoy they officially signed Monday is the same running back that was a two-time All-Pro with the Eagles.

They don’t need him to be, either.

The Chiefs have a clear-cut starter in Damien Williams and two young, capable backups in second-year pro Darrel Williams and rookie Darwin Thompson. So whatever the 31-year-old McCoy can provide after his release by Buffalo is gravy, whether that is on-field production or locker-room leadership.

‘‘There were a lot of teams that called in and I thought this was the best fit,’’ McCoy said. ‘‘You see this offense, I'm just trying to fit in a small part. These guys are rolling.’’

Chiefs coach Andy Reid was responsible for drafting McCoy in Philadelphia, and the six-time Pro Bowl pick wound up playing his first four seasons for him. McCoy played two more with the Eagles after Reid was fired and landed in Kansas City, then spent the past four seasons in Buffalo.

But he was released over the weekend in a surprise move, and several teams immediately expressed interest, including the AFC West rival Chargers. But the relationship McCoy had with Reid and Chiefs general manager Brett Veach — and McCoy’s agent, Drew Rosenhaus — made for a relatively quick negotiation, and McCoy was in the Chiefs’ practice facility to sign his contract Monday.

Now, the trick will be to get up to speed in time to offer some help Sunday in Jacksonville.

‘‘We'll see what he can pick up in a short period of time, how comfortable he is with it,’’ Reid said. ‘‘He’s a pretty sharp kid. He’s been practicing and playing, so conditioning is not an issue.’’

The Chiefs signed Carlos Hyde in the offseason with the hope he could provide a veteran presence in the backfield. But he was unproductive in the preseason and was traded to Houston, leaving a major experience void among the four running backs the Chiefs kept on the roster.

Eagles start to feel better

The Eagles could have several injured starters in the lineup for the season opener.

Coach Doug Pederson said defensive tackle Fletcher Cox, right guard Brandon Brooks, linebacker Nigel Bradham, defensive end Derek Barnett, and cornerback Ronald Darby should be ready for Sunday’s game against Washington after missing the preseason.

Cox, a four-time Pro Bowl pick and 2018 All-Pro, and Bradham, the team’s most reliable linebacker, are recovering from foot injuries suffered in a playoff loss at New Orleans. Brooks, a two-time Pro Bowl pick, tore his right Achilles’ tendon in the same game against the Saints. Barnett, a 2017 first-round pick, started six games before he had season-ending shoulder surgery. Darby started nine games before he tore his right ACL.

Two-time Pro Bowl right tackle Lane Johnson also is ready to go after sitting out most of training camp with a knee injury.

‘‘We’re gonna show up with Band-Aids and whatever we have to do,’’ Johnson said. ‘‘We'll be all right.’’

Raiders replace Peterman with Kizer

The Raiders placed third-string quarterback Nathan Peterman on injured reserve with an elbow injury Monday, a day after claiming DeShone Kizer off waivers from Green Bay as the fourth quarterback on the roster.

Peterman had a strong preseason for the Raiders after the former fifth-round pick flamed out in Buffalo. Peterman completed 60 of 84 passes for 475 yards, three TDs, and no interceptions for a 97.1 rating. But he hurt a ligament in his elbow in the preseason finale at Seattle last week and now will miss at least the first eight weeks of the season. Oakland has the option of designating him as one of two players who can be activated from IR later this season.

Peterman struggled mightily with the Bills, throwing five interceptions in the first half of his first start in 2017. In eight games over two seasons, Peterman completed 52.3 percent of his passes with 12 interceptions, three TDs, and a 32.5 passer rating.

Only two players since the merger have thrown more passes than Peterman’s 130 with a lower rating. Scott Bull had a 24.8 rating for San Francisco and Kim McQuilken had a 17.9 rating for Atlanta and Washington, both in the 1970s.

Kizer, a former second-round pick by Cleveland in 2017, hasn’t fared much better. He started 15 games as a rookie, completing 53.6 percent of his passes with 22 interceptions, 11 TDs, and a 60.5 rating. He played sparingly as a reserve last season in Green Bay before getting cut on Saturday.

Robinson rejoins Browns

Browns starting left tackle Greg Robinson has re-signed with the team, a day after his contract was surprisingly terminated. Robinson was cut Sunday when the Browns had to open a roster spot to make rookie offensive lineman Drew Forbes eligible to return from the injured list later this season. Forbes sustained a knee injury in Thursday’s exhibition against Detroit. The team’s move with the 26-year-old Robinson raised some eyebrows, but was more procedural than anything. Robinson, the No. 2 overall pick in the 2014 draft, could have signed elsewhere, but wanted to stay with the Browns. The Browns had signed him to a one-year, $7 million contract in February . . . The Bills signed quarterback Davis Webb to their practice squad, two days after the former third-round draft pick was cut by the Jets — the team they will face in the opener this weekend. The 24-year-old quarterback has yet to appear an in NFL game since the Giants drafted him in 2017 and then cut him before the start of last season . . . Jaguars linebacker Myles Jack signed a four-year, $57 million extension, placing him under contract through the 2023 season. Jack finalized the deal Monday, two days after agreeing to it. The contract includes $33 million guaranteed . . . The Dolphins released long snapper John Denney, who had played in every game for them since 2005, and defensive tackle Vincent Taylor, who made 27 tackles in eight games last year. The Dolphins made 53 moves Saturday and Sunday, most notably parting with veterans Laremy Tunsil, Kenny Stills, and Kiko Alonso in trades that netted three high draft picks.