New England Patriots not in Ryan Mallett trade talks yet

There have been many conflicting reports regarding New England Patriots backup quarterback Ryan Mallett, especially as it relates to a potential trade with the Cleveland Browns. Jeff Howe of the Boston Herald reported that the Cleveland Browns offered the New England Patriots a trade, and this came after Mary Kay Cabot of the Cleveland Plain Dealer reported that the Browns could send an offer to the Pats for Ryan Mallett.

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Nick Underhill of MassLive.com heard from a source that the Browns “really want” Mallett, but that conventional wisdom was contradicted by a second report from Cabot that stated quite strongly that the Browns “have not and will not” show interest in Mallett. Now, CSNNE’s Tom E. Curran reports that the Patriots have not had any talks with other teams regarding Mallett today.

This could all change later on, because it was Greg Bedard of the Boston Globe who reported that the New England Patriots received offers for Mallett from “multiple teams”. The three sources close to Bedard also stated that there is a slightly greater chance of Mallett leaving New England than staying with the Pats, and this seems to indicate that a few teams have significant interest in Mallett. The Patriots are high on Mallett and thus have a high asking price for Tom Brady‘s backup. If a team doesn’t offer at least a second-rounder for the Arkansas product, the then the Patriots are fully expected to hang up.

There is still a decent chance of Mallett getting dealt today, and the Patriots could be better off for it. They are very picky with their asking price, so they aren’t going to get ripped off or anything. There has been no shortage of rumors and new updates regarding Ryan Mallett, and the latest report from Curran is the next layer.

Curran’s report that the Patriots have not talked trade for Mallett backs ups Cabot’s most recent report and refutes Howe. I have a feeling the Browns think the Patriots asking price is too high, especially since the ideal trade for Mallett is a second-rounder. The Browns don’t have a second-round pick. I’m sure Michael Lombardi really wants Mallett, and Rob Chudzinski would have a nice fit for his vertical offense with Mallett. But it’s all about the asking price, and it sounds like the Browns aren’t too keen on it. The Browns were once the favorites to land Mallett, but now it seems like the Patriots will have to look at what other teams are willing to offer.

Although the Pats haven’t talked trade yet today, I’m sure teams will start calling in and trade talk will heat up during the draft. Man, it is such a stressful time for an NFL front office, and we’ll be sure to look out for the most recent updates regarding Mallett from reports such as Howe, Bedard, Cabot, Curran, and Underhill.

You can follow Joe Soriano on Twitter @SorianoJoe.