In the past, it seemed just being a backup to Tom Brady and a part of the Patriots system as a whole can bolster a backup quarterback's stock. Ryan Mallett is currently experiencing a similar situation, but it looks like the 25-year-old will be in Foxborough for at least one more season.
Talks surrounding a potential trade with Mallett surfaced around draft time, as teams like the Houston Texans pondered the potential of their high draft picks. Rumors grew after the Pats chose Eastern Illinois signal-caller Jimmy Garoppolo with their second-round pick.
Coach Bill Belichick quashed those rumors Thursday, telling Jim Miller and Pat Kirwan of Sirius XM NFL Radio the move is "not really something we're that interested in."
"Ryan has done a good job for us," Belichick said via ESPN Boston's Mike Reiss. "Fortunately for our team, maybe unfortunately for Ryan, he hasn’t really had any playing time in the last three years. But he’s improved tremendously as a quarterback and as a football player, and we have a lot of confidence in him."
Belichick acknowledged that Mallett's in the final year of his four-year contract, however, and told reporters a player of Garoppolo's skill level was too good to pass up at No. 62 overall. He reiterated that it's better to be safe than sorry at the quarterback position, and he was sure to not rule out the possibility of the rookie leapfrogging Mallett and becoming the team's No. 2 this year if he has a successful training camp.
