After signing 12-year veteran quarterback Josh McCown to a three-year deal on Friday, Browns coach Mike Pettine and general manager Ray Farmer called incumbent Brian Hoyer to break the news, according to The Plain Dealer of Cleveland. Though they didn't say it was the end, Hoyer knows his time in Cleveland is over.
Hoyer hoped to talk to Farmer face-to-face before NFL free agency starts on March 10, but their meeting never took place.
"I know Ray had texted me about meeting,'' Hoyer said in a Feb. 7 interview. "That hasn't gone anywhere to this point. I'm sure he has other things on his plate. But hopefully I get a chance to do that. I'd like to sit down and talk to him.''
To add, Hoyer's agent, Joe Linta, never met with Farmer at last week's NFL scouting combine.
"I've proven that I can win in this league as a starting quarterback,'' Hoyer said on Feb. 7. "I feel like 16 starts, I've shown that I can be a winning quarterback in this league. Especially at this point in my career, I want to go somewhere, whether it's here or wherever it might be, that I'm going to be able to have a chance to be on the field.''
Cleveland's deal with McCown almost guarantees the Ohio native and hometown favorite Hoyer will head for another city as a free agent. Teams can reach out to agents of unrestricted free agents beginning March 7 and close any deals after 4 p.m. ET on March 10. Hoyer shouldn't have a problem getting a contract somewhere he can get playing time.
Hoyer, 29, was the Browns' starter to begin last season. He led the team to a 6-3 record and first place in the AFC North but lost the job to Johnny Manziel in Week 15 after throwing eight interceptions and just one touchdown pass in the next four games.
To his credit, McCown knows his mission includes helping young Browns quarterbacks develop. That includes Manziel, a man-child being treated for personal demons; and Connor Shaw.
"If you can give of yourself to others to help somebody else in your journey, I think you'll find so much more peace in life," McCown told Alex Marvez and Mark Dominik of SiriusXM NFL Radio on Friday. "And so that's my approach when I head into a quarterback room, and is just 'What can I give back to the guys around me to help us be better?' "
McCown paid special heed to Manziel.
"Johnny is a person, and every person that I come across has value to me, and they matter," McCown said. "And so I want to help him as much as I can with all parts of it. To grow as a person and as a player and to help him go on and have a fruitful career."