New England Patriots fielding Ryan Mallett offers

The New England Patriots are expected to be open to offers, per Ian Rappoport, for talented backup quarterback Ryan Mallett, who is likely the third best quarterback in the AFC East. Regardless of where he ranks, Mallett is one of the most coveted young quarterbacks on the market poised to move up from a role as a backup to the role of a starter in this league, but the Patriots aren’t just going to give Mallett away.

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In fact, that’s far from it. Mallett is held in high regard among Patriots executives, according to an earlier report from Adam Schefter. Brian Daboll most notably stated that Mallett could be a starter for various teams around the league, including the Kansas City Chiefs- the team Daboll was the offensive coordinator of before moving to the Patriots staff late last season.

According to Greg Bedard of the Boston Globe, the Patriots wouldn’t deal Mallett for anything less than a second-round draft choice, because the team “put two years in developing him”. It looks like the Patriots have plenty of future plans for Mallett, who has a great “live arm” and plenty of potential. He definitely holds value to the organization, and the Pats will only trade Mallett if they find a suitor who is willing to pony up enough.

That amount will likely be a second-round deal, because I can’t envision a team dealing a first. The Cleveland Browns are reportedly still not interested in acquiring Mallett, so it seems like not even Michael Lombardi would be willing to give up a first for Mallett. With an uncertain group of QBs heading into the draft this year that project more as project players, Mallett’s value is at an even higher value to teams in need of a quarterback.

The Patriots will gauge the offseason interest for Mallett, but I highly doubt he gets traded. This team has high hopes for him, and their relatively high asking price will most likely not be met in a league where draft picks are, in all honesty, overvalued. In fact, the Patriots would be crazy to accept anything less than a second-rounder for Mallett.

You can follow Joe Soriano on Twitter @SorianoJoe.