You could call this the final straw in a horrifically tumultuous season for quarterback Ryan Mallett, who was released by the Houston Texans Tuesday afternoon. 

The cutting of Mallett by Houston head coach Bill O'Brien immediately follows the fifth-year veteran's absence at team meetings on Saturday morning and his inability to arrive on time for the squad's charter flight to Miami to face the Dolphins on Sunday afternoon. 

The Arkansas product blamed traffic as the culprit for his tardiness. As a result, Mallett was forced to fly commercially to meet the team in South Florida, watching the 2-5 Texans fall in a landslide to the 3-3 Dolphins, 44-26, from the sidelines. 

This was not the first time that Mallett had been tardy for a team function, having overslept for a pre-season practice in the aftermath of him being named the second-string quarterback to Brian Hoyer, a scene that was broadcasted nationwide on HBO's Hard Knocks. 

Mallett infamously proclaimed to general manager Rick Smith that, because he had purchased an alarm clock, he would never let weariness inhibit his ability to arrive to the team facility on time ever again. Apparently, he failed to account for the potential of traffic on his way to NRG Stadium on Saturday morning. 

O'Brien originally desired to release Mallett instantly following the departure of the team plane, however, with second-year quarterback Tom Savage on injured reserve and veteran Zac Dysert residing on the practice squad, the head coach had no other option than Mallett to man the backup spot against the Dolphins. 

To account for the loss of Mallett, Houston signed free agent quarterback T.J. Yates immediately after the release. Yates previously played with the Texans from 2011-13, starting five games and recorded a passer rating of 80.7 in his rookie season. 

Mallett, who was acquired by the Texans from the New England Patriots in exchange for a draft pick prior to the 2014 season, stole the starting quarterback spot from starter Ryan Fitzpatrick in November of last season.

He led his troops to a 23-7 win over the Cleveland Browns in his initial start on November 16, throwing for 211 yards, two touchdowns, and one interception. However, he proceeded to suffer a torn pectoral muscle in his subsequent appearance, a loss to the Cincinnati Bengals, placing him on the injured reserve. 

The Texans then decided to re-sign Mallett for the 2015 season, placing him into a quarterback competition by locking up Hoyer as well. After losing the battle to Hoyer, Mallett was quick to voice his displeasure with O'Brien's decision, the first sign of his contempt for his role on the team. 

After Hoyer struggled in Houston's Week 1 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs, Mallett was named the starter, starting the ensuing three games while earning a 1-2 record with a 19-9 home victory over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Week 3. 

However, Mallett mustered just a 5.5 Total QBR in a blowout Week 4 defeat at the hands of the Atlanta Falcons, putting him on a short leash for the Texans Week 5 matchup against the Indianapolis Colts. After beginning the game 7-for-10 with 70 yards and an interception, the gunslinger was abruptly replaced by Hoyer, who proceeded to throw two touchdowns while gaining control of the job for good.