The Buffalo Bills, struggling at quarterback this preseason, had discussions with the New England Patriots about Ryan Mallett, the Boston Herald reported Sunday.

The Patriots traded Mallett to the Houston Texans on Sunday, several outlets reported. The Herald's Jeff Howe said the Bills and Dallas Cowboys were the other teams involved in trade discussions:

The Patriots had trade discussions with the Texans, Cowboys and Bills, per source.

— Jeff Howe (@jeffphowe) August 31, 2014

Mallett, 26, was a third-round pick of the Patriots in 2011. He has been Tom Brady's primary backup but has appeared in only four regular-season games. He completed 53.8 percent of his passes this preseason.

It's unclear when the Patriots and Bills had discussions about Mallett and if they were affected by the Bills' signing of Kyle Orton on Saturday.

The Texans surrendered a sixth-round draft choice for Mallett, according to ESPN Houston Texans reporter Tania Ganguli.