Seven-time Super Bowl champion Tom Brady paid tribute to his former New England Patriots backup Ryan Mallett following news of the quarterback's death on Tuesday (June 27).
"We lost a great man. Thank you for everything Ryan," Brady wrote alongside a photo of himself and Mallett shared to his Instagram story.
Mallett served as Brady's backup during his first three NFL seasons, having been selected by the Patriots at No. 74 overall in the 2011 NFL Draft before later stints with the Houston Texans and Baltimore Ravens. The 35-year-old was identified as the victim of an apparent drowning in the Gulf of Mexico, the Okaloosa County Sheriff's Office announced in a statement shared on Monday (June 28).
“One of the individuals, an adult male, went under and lifeguards say he was not breathing when pulled out,” said the Okaloosa County Sheriff’s Office in a statement obtained by ABC News. “Lifesaving measures were immediately undertaken but the man was pronounced deceased at the Destin Emergency Room.”
Mallett's death was confirmed to KHTV in Little Rock by Skip Carr, the assistant principal at White Hall High School in Arkansas, where the former quarterback served as head football coach. The former Texas High School standout was a consensus five-star prospect, ranking as the No. 1 player from the state of Texas, No. 2 pro-style quarterback and No. 5 prospect for the 2007 national recruiting cycle, according to the 247Sports Composite.
Mallett spent his first collegiate season at the University of Michigan and appeared in 11 games as a true freshman in the absence of injured starter Chad Henne, but transferred after the conclusion of the 2007 season due to the Wolverines hiring of then-head coach Rich Rodriguez and a shift to a read option offensive scheme that typically centers around a dual-threat quarterback. The Batesville native transferred to Arkansas and excelled as a two-year starter after redshirting in 2008.
Mallett led the Razorbacks to an 8-5 record in 2009 and a 10-3 record in 2010, which included being ranked No. 12 overall during his final collegiate season and being named as a second-team All-SEC quarterback during his two seasons as a starter.
"We are shocked and saddened by the passing of Ryan Mallett. He was a Razorback legend with larger-than-life talent and a personality to match. He led our program to some of our best moments in recent memory. He will be missed by everyone who knew him. Our thoughts and prayers are with his mother Debbie and his extended family," the Arkansas football team wrote on its official Twitter account.
Mallett was traded by the Patriots to the Texans in August 2014 for a conditional pick and later being named as the starting quarterback under first-year head coach Bill O'Brien, who had worked as New England's offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach during Mallett's rookie season in November 2014.
The former Arkansas standout went 1-1 in two starts before a torn pectoral muscle ended his season. Mallett competed for the Texans' starting quarterback job during the 2015 offseason but was beat out by veteran Brian Hoyer, who he eventually replaced in the fourth quarter of Houston's Week 1 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs.
Mallett went 1-3 in four starts for the Texans in 2015 before being traded to the Baltimore Ravens and going 1-1 in two starts following injuries to starter Joe Flacco and backup Matt Schaub.
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