New England Patriots insider Tom Curran, who was a guest on Pro Football Talk Live on Thursday, indicated that he believes the Patriots decision to sit starter Tom Brady in their preseason opener has everything to do with showcasing the talent of backup quarterback Ryan Mallett against the Washington Redskins first-team defense.
According to Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk, Curran’s logic is as follows.
Curran explained on Thursday’s PFT Live that he believes the Patriots prefer to trade Mallett if they can. The most obvious candidate would be the Texans, where former Pats assistant Bill O’Brien has become the head coach, and veteran journeyman Ryan Fitzpatrick has become the starting quarterback.
New England’s ultimately willingness to trade Mallett depends also on whether rookie Jimmy Garropolo performs well enough to justify making him the backup to Brady.
Giving both quarterbacks the potential to see extensive playing time in lieu of risking an injury to Brady makes sense. If Garropolo and Mallett both excel throughout the preseason, the latter will likely find himself calling a new team home when Week 1 rolls around.
Mallett, a former third-round pick out of Arkansas, has long been on the trade block. There were rumors during the 2014 NFL draft that he was closed to being moved to the Texans, a team that Florio brought up in his conversation with Curran.
New England normally plays it close to the vest with its plans, but this specific situation seems too obvious for even Bill Belichick to deny with a straight face.
Ryan Mallett might as well be wearing a For Sale sign around his neck. Seen this act before. Usually, no one takes the bait. We'll see.
— Albert Breer (@AlbertBreer) August 7, 2014
While Houston makes a ton of sense, there are other teams out there who could very well express interest in Mallett. The Dallas Cowboys, San Francisco 49ers and Arizona Cardinals may very well be in the market for a backup quarterback. The issue with that is Mallett’s set to be a free agent following the 2014 season and all three of those teams seem to have a starter already in place. In terms of the Texans, Mallett is a more talented option than veteran Ryan Fitzpatrick and could be a long-term option.
Photo: Patriots.com