Thursday, February 28, 2013
Mallett's trade value
By Tom Carpenter
Last offseason there were myriad potential starting quarterbacks available via the draft, free agency and trades to teams that needed one. Things aren't nearly as promising in that department this offseason, especially now that the Kansas City Chiefs have secured Alex Smith from the San Francisco 49ers. Noting the weak market and the Smith move, the Boston Herald's Jeff Howe thinks the New England Patriots may end up moving backup QB Ryan Mallett.
"Even though two sources indicated Tuesday the Patriots aren't actively trying to trade Mallett, the possibility makes too much sense to ignore, especially this early in the offseason process," he wrote. "Plus, there is a minuscule difference between actively shopping and stumbling into a great offer."
Looking back at similar situations in recent years, Howe believes "the baseline for a Mallett deal would be a second-rounder, which the Patriots would obviously covet to improve their initial investment on the quarterback in 2011. The market dictates he might just be worth it."
As Howe notes, the Buffalo Bills, Cleveland Browns, Arizona Cardinals, Jacksonville Jaguars, New York Jets and Oakland Raiders all desire a long-term answer at quarterback and have a top-nine draft pick. That means that if they don't see the man they want to direct their offense on the field for the foreseeable future via the free-agent market or with an early first-round pick, they may be better off pushing the Pats to ship them Mallett for a draft pick. And, of course, the Pats are notorious for their desire to accumulate picks.
