Ex-NFL QB Ryan Mallett, 35, dead after shock 'drowning incident' in Florida

Ryan Mallett has been declared dead after an apparent drowning incident, at the age of 35. The former NFL quarterback played for the New England Patriots, Houston Texans, and Baltimore Ravens during his five-year stint in the NFL.

Mallett was born in Batesville, Arkansas, in 1988. He displayed great talent throughout his football career and won the hearts of many fans across the globe.

The former quarterback was vacationing with his girlfriend just off the coast of Destin, Florida when his unresponsive body was pulled from the water. 

Allegedly he was attempting to swim to a distant sandbar when it is believed he was caught in a riptide, corroborated by the US weather service having put out a general riptide warning for the region however the Okaloosa county beaches were only under a yellow-flag caution witnesses report.

Sheriff Eric Aden who was present at the scene, expressed his condolences to the family however claimed there is no evidence of unsafe conditions in the water. 

An unfortunate loss for the family, and the NFL fans that looked up to him as an athlete role model. Let us dive down memory lane and relive some of his greatest moments as a QB star!

Mallett was born to two high school teachers. His father was the football coach of their local high school team, molding young Mallett into a future QB star. In seventh grade, Mallet befriended Will Middlebrooks, who would also go on to be a professional athlete! Middlebrooks played with the Boston Red Socks for several years before joining their broadcasting team.

Mallett excelled at football in high school, rising to become the nation’s second-ranked quarterback in all positions by his senior year in 2006. A true talent!

His record backs up this speculation as well. While playing football in Texas, he faced some of the best talents in the nation. Texas is largely considered to be the most competitive of all the public high school leagues in the nation, Texan 5A schools regularly produce the most college prospects of any public high school league in the country.

In his senior year alone, Mallett went 204 for 321, a 64% completion percentage, racked up 3,353 yards and just three interceptions to 33 touchdowns.

This incredible season won him the Gatorade Player of the Year award, a national award that gained him plenty of reputation amongst recruiters. 

Aside from his stats, scouts liked his big, six-foot-six-inch frame, and in an official ESPN scouting report, he was characterized as: “A big, physical pocket passer with great size and arm strength. He reminds us of former Michigan QB John Navarre in terms of build and physical tools. He can make any throw and has a quick release.”

Despite full-ride college offers from Alabama, Notre Dame, Florida State, and Oklahoma, Mallett signed his letter of intent with the Michigan Wolverines after his senior season in 2006.

After a great debut against Oregon, replacing injured starter Chad Henne, Mallett went 6 for 17 for 49 yards and one interception. Mallett burst onto the scene in a 38-0 rout against Midwest rivals, Notre Dame.

Mallett ended up transferring back to Arkansas to play for the University of Arkansas Razorbacks. He solidified his role as starting quarterback with a 408-yard, five-touchdown performance against Georgia, setting school records for both yardage and touchdowns by a single player.

Mallett led the Razorbacks to a victory at the end of the season against East Carolina University, winning the Liberty Bowl for his school in a 20-17 overtime nailbiter in which he was named offensive MVP.

His second season was hampered early on by an off-season foot surgery, but despite that, Mallett threw for more than 400 yards or more than three touchdowns in the first seven games of the season and set SEC records for completion percentage. 

Performances like these would go on to propel him to Heisman frontrunner up until a disappointing loss against Ohio State in the Sugar Bowl marked the end of his collegiate career.

He would go on to be selected by the New England Patriots in the 2011 draft, selected by the staff to backup Tom Brady.

He saw very limited playing time in New England despite promising preseason stat lines, however, it was clear that the coaching staff wasn’t going to replace Brady anytime soon.

He was traded to the Houston Texans in 2014, where he got his start in week 11 and performed well in a 23-7 victory over the Cleveland Browns. He completed 20 of 30 passes and completed his first touchdown in a trick play to star defensive player, J.J. Watt.

His last stint in the NFL came with the Baltimore Ravens in 2015, whose backup and starter, Matt Schaub and Joe Flacco both had season-ending injuries.

He impressed fans and doubters alike with back-to-back strong performances against tough division rivals Pittsburgh and Cincinnati.

Mallett set a career-high 274 yards in a win against the Steelers and subsequently broke that record the next week in a loss to the Bengals in which he threw 292 yards.

The Ravens failed to make the playoffs in 2015, and regular starter Joe Flacco was healthy by the start of the 2016 season, meaning Mallett would rarely see the field until the 2017 season.

Retiring from football, Mallett returned to Arkansas where he worked as an assistant football coach for Mountain Home High School, then, in 2022 landed the head coaching position at White Hall High School, where he worked up until his death on June 27th, 2023.