Axel Edward Brian Hoyer is an American football quarterback who is a free agent. He played college football for the Michigan State Spartans. Since joining the NFL in 2009 as an undrafted free agent, he has started for eight different teams, the second-most in league history behind only Ryan Fitzpatrick. Hoyer's longest stint has been with the New England Patriots for eight non-consecutive seasons, primarily as a backup, and he was a member of the team that won Super Bowl LIII. His most successful season was with the Houston Texans in 2015 when he helped lead them to a division title.

The Houston Texans are a professional American football team based in Houston. The Texans compete in the National Football League as a member club of the American Football Conference (AFC) South division, and play their home games at NRG Stadium.