In all likelihood, New England Patriots back-up quarterback Ryan Mallett will one day get a chance to be the franchise quarterback for some NFL team. However, following the three year contract extension that current Patriots starter Tom Brady signed recently, Mallett will almost certainly never get that chance in New England.
That being said, with two years remaining on his current deal, it would make sense that the Patriots begin to look and see what they could get for Mallett on the trade market. His value is relatively high, there are a ton of quarterback needy teams (and a weak draft class at the position), and the Patriots can be patient with two years remaining on his current deal.
However, according to a report from Jeff Howe of the Boston Herald, the Patriots have yet to begin in active discussions in any Ryan Mallett trade:
It's obviously really early in the offseason process, but at this point, I've been told the Patriots are not actively shopping quarterback Ryan Mallett for a trade.
That doesn't mean they aren't listening to offers, if any are even being received, or preparing to explore a trade avenue as they get closer to the start of free agency or even the draft. But for now, all is quiet.
As Howe explains, things could heat up at some point this offseason. As fellow Pats Pulpit colleague Richard Hill pointed out yesterday, the Patriots could also choose to let Mallett play the preseason to further grow his value, and then ship him off before the regular season or in the 2014 offseason. Personally, I think that if the Patriots plan on trading Mallett at some point (which I fully expect), then the key time period will be between now and April's draft.