Patriots reportedly release QB Bailey Zappe
The Patriots cut Zappe, who started eight games over two seasons in New England.
The Patriots have released quarterback Bailey Zappe on cutdown day for the second year in a row, according to MassLive’s Mark Daniels.
Zappe, a 2022 fourth round pick, was primarily a backup during his time in New England but ended last year as the starter after Mac Jones fell apart.
This year, however, has been a different story. The Patriots brought in veteran quarterback Jacoby Brissett, who was named the starter heading into training camp. They drafted Drake Maye No. 3 overall to be the future of the franchise. Sixth round pick Joe Milton appeared to overtake Zappe during training camp.
With the new additions in place, Zappe tumbled down the depth chart, sometimes going entire days during training camp without a single repetition in team drills.
Zappe ended up returning to the Patriots after being cut last season, with Jones being the only person in between him in the starting job. The situation was different last year because New England cut all of its quarterbacks except Jones on cutdown day.
When Jones’s struggles became too much for coach Bill Belichick to stomach, Zappe had a shot to show what he could do.
Zappe is 4-4 in his career as a starter, but his overall numbers were fairly similar to Jones’s. He has thrown more interceptions (12) than touchdowns (11) over the past two seasons. Zappe has a career quarterback rating of 78.5, Jones’s quarterback rating last season was 77.0.
Brissett and Maye established themselves as the Patriots’ top two quarterback options early on, and Milton has uncommon size (6-foot-5, 246-pounds) and arm strength that could make give him a shot as a developmental prospect.
Ultimately, the Patriots decided there wasn’t enough room to keep four quarterbacks and Zappe was the odd man out.
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