Cleveland Browns “really want” Patriots Ryan Mallett

The rumors regarding the New England Patriots and Ryan Mallett this morning are moving at a fast-paced, and it sounds like there is a good chance of Mallett leaving New England during the 2013 NFL Draft. Greg Bedard of the Boston Globe reported that the New England Patriots are still getting offers from Ryan Mallett, and the three sources close to Bedard also divulged that there is a slightly greater chance of Mallett leaving than staying.

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Given how high the Patriots are on Mallett, that seems to make me believe that the Patriots are going to get exactly what they want for Mallett, which is a large sum of assets in the draft. Mary Kay Cabot of the Cleveland Plain Dealer reported earlier that the Browns could send another trade offer for Mallett, and then Jeff Howe of the Boston Herald later reported that the Browns have indeed inquired the Patriots about a potential Mallett deal.

Now, another reliable beat writer in MassLive.com’s Nick Underhill is reporting that the Cleveland Browns do indeed “really want” Ryan Mallett. The Browns have long been regarded as the favorites for Mallett, because new GM Michael Lombardi loves him and new head coach Rob Chudzinski’s vertical offense seems to fit Mallett well. The source told Underhill, “The Browns really want him. But we’ll see.”

The Patriots aren’t going to trade Ryan Mallett for less than a second-rounder, and that’s a draft pick the Browns currently lack. They could try to package other picks, trade down and give up a second-rounder, or even put all the chips on the table and trade a first-rounder next year for Mallett. There is plenty of interest from the Cleveland Browns here, but we’ll see if the Patriots are able to get what they want from the Browns. If Mallett was traded, then Mike Kafka would be the primary backup to Tom Brady, and I would also expect the New England Patriots to take a quarterback in the 2013 NFL Draft.

You can follow Joe Soriano on Twitter @SorianoJoe.