Texans coach Bill O’Brien wants soon-to-be free agent quarterback Ryan Mallett to remain in Houston. The feeling is mutual.
Mallett told John McClain of the Houston Chronicle that he’s hoping he’ll come to terms with the Texans on a new deal that keeps him in Houston, where he started two games last season before suffering a torn pectoral muscle.
“I’d like to be back. Hopefully, we can get something worked out,” Mallett said. “It’s nice to be wanted. It’s better than not being wanted.”
Mallett said he has started throwing a football as part of his rehab from surgery.
“I’ve tossed it around a little. Its a day by day process,” Mallett said. “I’m getting close. There’s no magic potion. I’m trying to get better every day. We’ll see how it goes.”
Mallett hasn’t done enough yet to prove that he’s a capable NFL starter, which is why the Texans will likely have a quarterback competition in camp this year. But Mallett has done enough that if he does re-sign, he would probably be the favorite to win a competition among the quarterbacks currently on the roster (a list that includes Ryan Fitzpatrick, Case Keenum, Tom Savage and Thaddeus Lewis). It’s not surprising that Mallett wants to stay in Houston, because Houston is the team that gives Mallett his best chance to be a starter.