Report: Buffalo Bills were interested in Ryan Mallett
Looking to further improve their quarterback situation, the Buffalo Bills attempted to acquire New England Patriots quarterback Ryan Mallett.
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The Bills would eventually be beaten out by the Houston Texans in the race for Ryan Mallett, but what’s important here is the Bills’ unwillingness to settle for what they currently have at quarterback.
The Patriots had trade discussions with the Texans, Cowboys and Bills, per source.
— Jeff Howe (@jeffphowe) August 31, 2014
In a calendar year, the Bills’ quarterback situation has gone from promising to bad. Drafting Florida State quarterback E.J. Manuel 16th overall in the 2013 NFL Draft, the franchise expected Manuel to be the quarterback of the future they’ve coveted for years. That failed to pan out.
Now they’re looking to salvage their season as there are many uncertainties surrounding Manuel after he underperformed in the preseason.
They immediately addressed the situation by signing Kyle Orton to a one-year, $5 million deal, but at 31 years old, the Bills aren’t expecting Orton to be a long-term solution, hence the interest in Mallett.
Mallett has proven to be an excellent quarterback in his preseason appearances, but teams are betting on his fundamentals and time under Tom Brady to pay off in the long run. If his ceiling is Matt Cassell, it’s a win-win situation, at least in the long term. At best, Cassell could lead a team to the playoffs. The Bills would love that from whatever quarterback is starting under center for them after having not appeared in the playoffs since 1999.