No starting quarterback decision has been announced for the New England Patriots, but a backup QB is on his way out.
Bailey Zappe is being waived by the Pats following two seasons and eight starts, NFL Network Insider Tom Pelissero reported on Tuesday.
Zappe, 25, was also cut by the Pats ahead of the 2023 season, but this one feels more permanent with either first-round rookie Drake Maye or veteran Jacoby Brissett getting the QB1 spot and rookie Joe Milton III on the roster.
Selected in the fourth round of the 2022 NFL Draft, Zappe was a fan favorite as a rookie, having briefly injected some life into an unconscious offense. However, over two seasons in New England, neither he nor Mac Jones could sustain success in the final years of the Bill Belichick era. Zappe was waived on cutdown day last year and then re-signed to the practice squad. He ended last season as the Patriots' starter over the final six games.
Now, officially, the Patriots' QB room is completely renovated from the 2023 version with no holdovers from the previous season.
Zappe will look to catch on elsewhere as a backup, owning a starting record of 4-4 with 14 games of experience over two seasons. He's thrown for 2,053 yards with 11 touchdowns and 12 interceptions.
The Western Kentucky product is the latest quarterback in a doomed '22 draft class to move on from their original team. Zappe joins Kenny Pickett (first round), Desmond Ridder (third), Malik Willis (third), Matt Corral (third), Sam Howell (fifth) and Chris Oladokun (seventh) as quarterbacks drafted in 2022 who have been traded or released by their original squads. The only two QBs remaining on the teams that drafted them are seventh-rounder Skylar Thompson with the Miami Dolphins and Brock Purdy, whom the San Francisco 49ers selected with the final pick of the draft.
