The New England Patriots finally officially released quarterback Brian Hoyer on Thursday.

The move was first reported to be coming on March 4.

The Patriots still have Mac Jones and Bailey Zapper on their 90-man roster. New England will need to fill their third quarterback spot with a veteran free-agent or through the draft.

Hoyer, 37, spent three stints with the Patriots. He entered the NFL as a Patriots undrafted free agent out of Michigan State in 2009. After three seasons in New England, Hoyer went on to play with the Pittsburgh Steelers, Arizona Cardinals, Cleveland Browns, Chicago Bears and San Francisco 49ers before returning to the Patriots in 2017 for two seasons. After spending 2019 with the Indianapolis Colts, Hoyer returned to the Patriots in 2020 for three more seasons.

Hoyer, who’s 16-24 in his career as a starter, missed most of last season after suffering a concussion in a Week 4 start against the Green Bay Packers.

He's thrown for 10,668 yards, 53 touchdowns and 35 interceptions in his NFL career with a 59.4 completion percentage. Hoyer went 0-2 with the Patriots and threw for 729 yards with two touchdowns and two interceptions in 30 games.

Hoyer’s release did not provide the Patriots with salary cap relief.