Ryan Mallett has gone from being the future of the New England Patriots franchise to risking release before the 2014 season. The backup quarterback has spent the past three seasons as Tom Brady's backup and many believed he could be the future successor to the quarterback thrown in Foxborough. However, the Patriots drafted Jimmy Garoppolo in the second round of the NFL Draft, making Mallett trade bait. So what happens if a deal does not come?
The Patriots have been quiet about the future of Mallett. The quarterback is in the final year of his contract on team that traditionally only carries two players at the position throughout the season. Garoppolo is not going anywhere which leaves Mallett as the odd man out. According to Tom Curran of CSNNE.com, Mallett could be released before the start of the season if the Patriots are unable to trade him.
The team has not been publically shopping Mallett in trades this offseason, but it is assumed that the Patriots would answer the phone if someone called. At most, Mallett is worth a late-round draft pick. If New England thinks they can even get something as high as a fourth-round pick, they are mistaken. Backup quarterbacks do not have a high return value whether they were sitting behind Brady or not.
Mallett's basesalary also does not help his position with the team. The quarterback is owed $776,976 this season and is certainly not a huge hit if released. The best chance the Patriots have at a trade right now is the St. Louis Rams. The team has lost Sam Bradford for the season and many consider Mallett the best available to replace him. His rocket arm and build make him an ideal starting quarterback, the Patriots would just simply have to lower their expectations on what they can get in return.
The team is clearly putting most of the future stock into Garoppolo who could turn out to be a low-risk-high-reward player. The rookie has earned strong reviews at this point in training camp and will start and play a majority of the preseason finale. Head coach Bill Belichick wants to see what the rookie can handle.
"It's just an experience that he needs to go through -- to feel like he's going to start the game [and] he's going to be in the game for every situation -- second down, third down, goal-line, red area, two-minute, whatever it is, he has to be prepared for everything and handle whatever it is that comes up," Belichick said, via WEEI in Boston.
If Mallett gets released, the St. Louis Rams must pick him up. The question remains whether or not the Patriots actually make the move.