HOUSTON -- Ryan Mallett gets another shot.

He earned it.

He'll have to keep earning it.

Mallett agreed to re-sign with the Houston Texans on Monday, prior to the start of official free agency, a deal worth $7 million over two years. He has $1.75 million in guarantees, all in the first year, with the cash split evenly between the two years. The reality is that that second year is fairly meaningless. If Mallett wins the starting job and proves himself, the Texans will redo the deal. If he flounders, they’ll likely release him.

The Texans are also on the verge of signing Brian Hoyer, who is strongly leaning toward Houston. Having both Mallett and Hoyer creates a competition between the two. Returning to the Texans, nothing is guaranteed for Mallett, which isn't new for him. He doesn't return the presumed starter; he'll have to win the job.

It's all the Texans could do, having only seen one healthy game from Mallett, whom they traded for last August. He spent the first three years of his career with the New England Patriots, sitting behind and learning from Tom Brady.

This is a prove-it deal. He wanted to be here because he felt at home in Houston. Now Mallett will have a chance. First up is to beat out Hoyer to become the Texans' starter (and Hoyer will have the same opportunity to win the starting job). If he wins that, he will have a chance to prove he can be a franchise quarterback in the NFL.

If Mallett does that, this two-year deal will become outdated quickly.