Former Houston Texans quarterback Ryan Mallett, who was with the team in 2014 and 2015, starting six games total, died Tuesday in an apparent drowning at a Florida beach, according to the Okaloosa County Sheriff’s Office. Mallett was 35 years old.
Courtesy of ESPN.com, here were the details:
The sheriff’s office said first responders were called to a beach in Destin, Florida, around 2:12 p.m. local time, as a group of people swimming in the Gulf of Mexico near a sandbar struggled to make their way back to shore. One of the individuals, later identified as Mallett, was not breathing when he was pulled out of the water and was transported to a local hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
Mallett spent seven years total in the NFL, after being drafted by the New England Patriots in the third round of the 2011 NFL Draft. In New England, Mallett played just 24 snaps as a backup to Tom Brady, before being traded in 2014 to the Texans, where he competed for the starting QB job in both 2014 and 2015. He was released during the 2015 season and picked up by the Baltimore Ravens.
Collegiately, Mallett played for the University of Michigan for one season before transferring back closer to home to the University of Arkansas, where he passed for 7,493 yards and 62 touchdowns in two seasons under head coach Bobby Petrino. in 2010, Mallett finished seventh in the voting for the Heisman Trophy.
His most recent job was as head football coach at White Hall High School in Arkansas, a job he landed in 2022.
“It is with great sadness that we share the loss of Coach Ryan Mallett,” White Hall, the Arkansas school district where Mallett coached high school football, posted on its website. “Coach Mallett was a beloved coach and educator. We ask that you remember his family, team, students, fellow coaches, and the White Hall School District staff in your prayers.”
Here are a few more thoughts on the star crossed career and tragic passing of Ryan Mallett:
Mallett was, at one time, the golden child of high school football
As mentioned above, Mallett started his collegiate career at the University of Michigan, where he was one of the most highly touted recruits in the entire country. In fact, multiple recruiting outlets had Mallett rated a five star recruit and the number one quarterback in the country. It was eventually under Petrino that Mallett was able to reach his full potential, as one of the best QB prospects in the country.
What might have been in 2014, if not or a torn pec
Upon arriving in Houston late in training camp in 2014, Ryan Fitzpatrick was the starting quarterback for the Texans. However, Fitzpatrick’s performance was inconsistent, to say the least, so Mallett was given an opportunity midway through the season to become the starting quarterback. He was very solid in a 23-7 win over the Browns, a performance that included a TD pass to J.J. Watt. however, the following week, Mallett tore a pectoral muscle against the Bengals and was done for the season. Who knows what type of turn Mallett’s career takes if he were able to stay healthy the remainder of that season.
Mallett, sadly, may be most remembered for tardiness
In 2015, Mallett came back to the Texans for another season, and competed in training camp with Brian Hoyer for the starting role on the Texans. Unfortunately, for Mallett, Hoyer was named the starter coming out of camp, and Mallett showed up late to practice the following week. Mallett recovered from that mistake, though, and by Week 2, he had replaced Hoyer. It wasn’t meant to last, though, as Mallett left a Week 6 loss to the Colts with an injury, was replaced by Hoyer, and then never came back in. The following week, Mallett missed the team flight to Miami, and he was gone by the middle of the following week.
Mallett seemed to have been in a good place before he passed
Mallett’s tardiness as a Texan was, unfortunately, kind of a metaphor for his career, and for a while, his off the field life. After retiring from the NFL, and before getting into coaching, Mallett was picked up for a DUI three years ago in Arkansas. Of late, though, he had really taken to coaching, and had his life moving in the right direction.
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This article appears in Jan 1 – Dec 31, 2023.
