Quote:I'm not sure they jumped the gun. I think they've been smart about having another guy in the wings in the event something catastrophic happens to Brady. Having a backup they can rely upon if that happens is a good thing. It allowed them to parlay a trade with KC for Matt Cassel a few years back to get an extra 2nd round pick from the Chiefs. And the lesson taken away from that deal is that the Pats aren't afraid to use the franchise tag to hang on to a player in the final year of his contract if they think they can get value in trade. It's possible they believe they can turn Mallett into another high draft pick at some point, although their first attempt with Houston didn't seem to go very well (assuming the rumor is true).