Former Patriots QB Brian Hoyer agrees to terms with Colts on reported three-year deal

Brian Hoyer’s Saturday release from the New England Patriots will not end in a return.

The 33-year-old quarterback agreed to terms with the Indianapolis Colts, as first reported by SiriusXM Radio’s Adam Caplan, on a three-year, $12 million deal Monday.

According to multiple reports, the deal includes $9 million in guarantees.

Hoyer joins former Patriots draft choice Jacoby Brissett in the Indianapolis QB room after departing from New England’s during the 53-man roster deadline.

Patriots rookie Jarrett Stidham takes Hoyer’s No. 2 place on the depth chart behind Tom Brady after a preseason that included an AFC-high 731 passing yards to go with four touchdowns and one interception.

Stidham, picked No. 133 overall by way of Baylor and Auburn in April, went 61-of-90 through the air during his summer audition. He went wire-to-wire in New England’s finale versus the New York Giants and had stepped in for Brady the week prior versus the Carolina Panthers.

“I thought both players played well in camp, and I like both players,” Patriots head coach Bill Belichick said of Hoyer and Stidham on his Sunday conference call. “But in the end, there are a number of considerations that you have to make, so we did what we thought was best for the team. But I think Brian’s a good player. It’s a long season, so we’ll see what happens.”

Hoyer originally entered the league with New England as an undrafted free agent in 2009. The Michigan State product made subsequent stops with an additional six teams, starting 37 career games, before returning to Foxborough midway into the 2017 season after Jimmy Garoppolo was sent to the San Francisco 49ers.

Over the Patriots’ initial two preseason games this August, Hoyer completed 18-of-22 passes for 202 yards with two touchdowns and one interception. The veteran was scheduled to carry a salary-cap number of $3 million with New England this fall.