OAKLAND, CA – The Oakland Raiders have signed former Razorback QB Ryan Mallett after he was released from the Houston Texans earlier this year. Mallett is expected to become number two on the depth chart behind Derek Carr.
The move comes after Mallett was released from the Texans after failing to catch the team plane due to oversleeping. This was the second time that Mallett overslept, the first coming during the off season causing him to miss practice and was later demoted to second string. Mallett and the Raiders hope that the two-hour time difference between Houston and Oakland will help Mallett overcome previous obstacles.
“Yo, I am just excited to be playing football again you know,” Mallett tells us. “I do not understand how this works exactly, but the Raiders tell me that they get two extra hours in the morning that most of the NFL doesn’t get. Something about time warps I think, I zoned out on part of that meeting. I am just excited that I do not have to sell cars in Texarkana for another couple of months.”
Mallett will join the Raiders for this Sunday’s matchup against the Steelers in Pittsburgh. Team officials say the contract is worth $6.1 million over two years and includes a Southwest Airline ticket to each away game.
The Raiders have been the surprise team of the AFC West with a 4-3 record after going just 3-13 last season. The Raiders hope that Mallett will help balance the recent unexpectedly good quarterback play of Derek Carr, a 2nd round pick last year out of Fresno State.
“We pride ourselves as an organization on mediocre quarterback play. Our legacy includes names like JaMarcus Russell, Jason Campbell, Terrelle Pryor, heck we even managed to ruin Carson Palmer,” Oakland Raiders GM Reggie McKenzie says. “At some point we need to evaluate if Carr’s success is really the best direction for the Raiders. Mallett may be the answer to help us correct that.”
The Raiders competed against the Dallas Cowboys to sign Mallett. Cowboy’s owner Jerry Jones even reportedly promised to relocate all practice sessions to Mallett’s parent’s backyard 2 hours away in Texarkana. The Raiders ultimately won the contract after promising to give Mallett free passes to Disneyland when the team relocates to LA.
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