Axel Edward Brian Hoyer was born on October 13, 1985, he is an American football quarterback for the New England Patriots of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Michigan State.
Since joining the NFL in 2009 as an undrafted free agent, he has started for eight different teams, the second-most in league history. Hoyer has spent six non-consecutive seasons as a backup on the Patriots and was part of the team that won a Super Bowl title in Super Bowl LIII.
Hoyer was redshirted by Michigan State University in 2004, where he earned Scout Team Offensive Player of the Week honors twice. In 2005, he saw action in five games in which he completed 15-of-23 passes (.652) for 167 yards and two touchdowns. In a game against Illinois, he combined with Drew Stanton to throw seven touchdown passes, which tied the Big Ten single-game record.
On May 18, 2021, Hoyer re-signed with the Patriots on a one-year contract. On August 31, 2021, Hoyer was released from the Patriots during final roster cuts but signed with the practice squad the following day. He was promoted to the active roster on September 18 as the second-string quarterback behind rookie Mac Jones.
During a Week 7 rout of the New York Jets, Hoyer made his season debut when he relieved Jones in the fourth quarter. He completed three of four passes for 79 yards on a drive that extended the Patriots’ lead to 54–13 and took the victory formation to seal the win.
Hoyer again relieved Jones in the fourth quarter of the Week 10 matchup with the Cleveland Browns after the Patriots took a 38–7 lead. He threw a touchdown pass to wide receiver Jakobi Meyers to conclude the 45–7 victory, which was his first since 2019 and the first of Meyers’ career.
Hoyer made his third relief appearance during Week 17 against the Jacksonville Jaguars, throwing for 63 yards in the fourth quarter and completing the 50–10 rout by taking the victory formation. On March 14, 2022, Hoyer signed a two-year contract extension with the Patriots.