Texans release punctuality-challenged QB Ryan Mallett

The seemingly inevitable is now reality: via multiple reports, the Texans have cut quarterback Ryan Mallett.

Mallett essentially signed his own pink slip on Saturday when he missed Houston’s charter to Miami, getting there on his own via a commercial flight.

Reportedly, head coach Bill O’Brien wanted to release Mallett on Saturday, but general manager Rick Smith overruled O’Brien. It made sense, as cutting ties with Mallett before the game with the Dolphins meant the Texans wouldn’t have a backup to Brian Hoyer (third-string QB Tom Savage is on injured reserve).

But now, with Houston trying to find answers after another humiliating loss, there is another challenge for O’Brien and Smith, and that is finding a backup to Hoyer.

It will be interesting to see if Mallett draws any interest (he immediately becomes a free agent). Coming out of Arkansas in 2011, he was considered to have a first-round arm but questions about his off-field behavior dogged him, and he was taken in the third round by the Patriots. Mallett’s big arm was unquestionable, but he struggled with his touch on short-to-intermediate throws even after three years in New England.

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However, there were no whispers or reports of his getting in trouble while with the Patriots, and to the contrary, Mallett was quite active in charitable work and earned his degree from Arkansas in 2013, using his NFL offseasons to finish his classes.

He was traded to Houston in 2014, reunited with O’Brien, who had been the Patriots’ offensive coordinator his rookie year. He started two late-season games before tearing a pectoral muscle, which led to him being placed on IR.

Re-signed for this year, Mallett had to battle with another former Brady backup, Brian Hoyer, and Hoyer was given the starting job in training camp. Mallett responded by oversleeping and showing up late to the Texans’ facility just days after O’Brien made the announcement.

But when Hoyer struggled in Week 1, O’Brien pulled him for Mallett. He started the next four games, including against the Colts on October 8. But Mallett pulled himself from that game after taking a hit and getting the wind knocked out of him, but once Hoyer came on, he stayed on, and Mallett was caught sulking on the sideline by the cameras.

Then came Saturday and Mallett’s excuse that traffic made him late, an issue none of his teammates or coaches had.