Ryan Mallett not on the trade block?
New England Patriots quarterback Ryan Mallett (15) takes the field. Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY Sports
It was reported yesterday that the New England Patriots were about to trade backup quarterback Ryan Mallett to the Houston Texans, who showed interest in acquiring the Arkansas product earlier this offseason, but reports refuting this quickly surfaced. It’s unclear if the Texans still have interest in acquiring Mallett, but it is clear that they are interested in trading down from 33 after drafting drafting Jadeveon Clowney at No. 1 instead of trading down. The Texans have always been expected to look into trading the 33rd pick if they stayed at No. 1, so that’s also something to keep an eye on.
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Anyway, ESPN’s Ed Werder reports, via Rotoworld, that the Patriots aren’t even making Ryan Mallett available for a trade, which is a very interesting twist indeed. Although the Patriots seem to genuinely like Mallett as Tom Brady’s backup, he has just one year left on his deal and is thus in no man’s land. The Patriots could easily draft another quarterback this year to be Brady’s young, developmental backup, and I’m sure they would love to net a pick out of Mallett.
I still wouldn’t rule out the chances of Mallett being traded today, but it’s looking less likely than it was yesterday. The Texans interest in Mallett is unclear, and the Patriots interest in trading away Mallett is now unclear as well. But since the Texans passed up on a quarterback at No. 1 (as was expected), they could draft one at 33 or trade down to a team interested in drafting Derek Carr.