The New England Patriots may looks at trying to trade Ryan Mallett this preseason and the Houston Texans could be an option for the team as Ryan Fitzpatrick has struggled so far and if he continues to do so, Bill O'Brien could pull off the move after previously working with Mallett in NE and it would give the team a more experienced option over rookie Tom Savage as well and allows the Pats to groom Jimmy Garoppolo.
According to Pro Football Talk, the Patriots would love to move Mallett, as he is in the final year of his contract and the team knows that Jimmy Garoppolo is the backup for the future with Tom Brady. Bill Belichick really values his roster spots and having three QBs is something he does not like to do and that could be why the Pats explore a deal. Peter King wrote on the MMQB.com that Mallett could be cut by the end of the preseason, but it's more likely that Belichick will look for a deal and will try and get a draft pick for Mallett.
The Patriots drafted Garoppolo in the second round and that means he isn't going anywhere and the way Belichick likes to build his team, every roaster spot counts. There were reports that the Texans were interested in Mallett around the draft, but that did not get serious and now they could look at a deal with the Pats. The team also could wait and see what the Patriots do with Mallett, as they could potentially cut him and Houston would be able to sign him without giving up any draft picks.
Mallett has not played much over the past few years since Brady has been able to stay healthy, but he has been a good worker behind the scenes and all reports from the coaching staff have been positive. O'Brien and the Texans are looked at as the best option since he worked with Mallett previously in New England. Mallett has no starting experience in the league, but he was considered to be one of the better talented players in his draft after slipping due to some off the field issues.
The Patriots likely will not "need" their backup this season and if all goes well that is how Belichick wants it, but there is always the risk of injury and what happened to Brady years ago could be a cautionary tale. The team had Matt Cassel waiting and he nearly made the playoffs after coming in and starting for Brady and while moving Mallett could be a value idea in the eyes of Belichick with a draft pick and a roster spot and all that, but losing Brady and then moving to Garoppolo could be disastrous.