Bailey Zappe's Jets QB2 Hopes Given Life Despite Minicamp Struggles

It's not over yet.

Bailey Zappe's hopes of becoming the Jets' QB2 are still alive. Can he make the most of his opportunity? | John Jones-Imagn Images

The backup quarterback competition has been one of the notable talking points throughout the Jets’ offseason program.

Following the 2026 NFL Draft in April, some fans thought the Jets would sign a veteran like Russell Wilson as Geno Smith’s backup, which would allow Cade Klubnik to be the QB3 this season.

However, the Jets have thus far opted against signing a veteran QB and instead are letting Bailey Zappe, Brady Cook, and Klubnik fight it out. The results so far in the QB2 battle have been a mixed bag between organized team activities (OTAs) and minicamp. Klubnik didn't participate in minicamp this week due to injury, allowing Zappe and Cook to run away with the job.

Cade Klubnik's injury threw an interesting curveball into the Jets' QB2 competition this offseason. | Jacob Musselman-Imagn Images

But that didn’t happen, leaving us now with more questions than answers for the next month until training camp begins. That said, Jets head coach Aaron Glenn feels differently about the competition, which should give some Zappe hope.

“Those guys will continue to compete,” Glenn said on Thursday morning when asked about the team’s backup QB situation (h/t Zack Rosenblatt of The Athletic).

Bailey Zappe can’t afford to slip up in Jets’ QB2 competition anymore

After having an okay practice in OTAs late last month and earlier this month, Zappe took a step back earlier this week at minicamp.

Rookie cornerback D’Angelo Ponds intercepted the veteran quarterback in 7-on-7 drills on Wednesday, per Rosenblatt. ESPN’s Rich Cimini added his two cents on what he saw, saying that Zappe was “up and down” as he went 4-for-7.

Some takeaways from #Jets minicamp practice:

* WR AD Mitchell delivered the highlight play: A leaping, toe-tapping catch in the back of the end zone in 7 on 7 (Geno Smith at QB). Mitchell has progressed nicely from where he was last year.

* Otherwise, not a lot of offensive…

— Rich Cimini (@RichCimini) June 16, 2026

However, it wasn’t all bad for the journeyman QB, who showed some promise in 11-on-11 drills, going 6-for-8 on his drive, which led to a 42-yard field goal by Jason Sanders, who is in a kicking competition of his own.

The fact that Glenn hasn’t shut the door on the competition is good, as things will only intensify in training camp and the preseason. For a guy like Zappe, who has played with multiple teams over his career, he should have the upper hand over Cook and Klubnik.

At the same time, one could argue that there’s a reason why Zappe has bounced around the league. The veteran signal-caller hasn’t shown consistency when given a chance to play. In 15 career games (nine starts), Zappe has completed 62.1% of his passes for 2,223 yards, 12 touchdowns, and 14 interceptions, along with a 76.0 passer rating.

Last season, Zappe was on the Browns’ practice squad after getting waived by the Chiefs in the preseason.

Now the 27-year-old QB has a chance to go from getting a futures deal from the Jets in January to possibly being Smith’s backup. He’ll need to be on top of his A-game because if not, he might not make the 53-man roster.