After months of speculation, the New England Patriots sent backup quarterback Ryan Mallett to the Houston Texans, in exchange for a conventional 7th round pick in the 2016 draft.
Rumors regarding a trade involving Mallett had been firing up for quite a while, and had begun ahead of the 2014 NFL draft, where the Patriots ended up drafting another quarterback, Jimmy Garoppolo. Prior to the trade, the Texans only had Ryan Fitzpatrick as their starter, plus fifth-round pick Tom Savage as his backup. While a competent starter for the Buffalo Bills and Tennessee Titans, Fitzpatrick’s performance has been solid at best; playing for the Titans in 2013, he threw only 14 touchdowns and 12 interceptions, ending up with a rating of 82.0.
Adding fuel to the fire was the fact that new Texans head coach Bill O’Brien had previously served as the Patriots’ quarterbacks coach and offensive coordinator, ironically doing so when the team selected Mallett in the third round of the 2011 NFL draft. The former Arkansas Razorbacks QB barely played in three seasons as Tom Brady’s backup, and has completed only one pass in four attempts, with one interception, no TD passes, and a QB rating of 5.2.
Meanwhile, it looks like Garoppolo appears likely to slot in as the second-string quarterback behind Brady, following an impressive preseason. It remains to be seen, however, whether the Patriots will sign a third quarterback. As for the Texans, Mallett may end up playing behind Fitzpatrick but ahead of Savage, though his reported improvement since being drafted in 2011 makes it possible he could take over as starter should Fitzpatrick struggle.