Bailey Zappe on New England Patriots Starting QB: ‘Nothing Set in Stone’
FOXBORO — As the late, great Prince Rogers Nelson once declared, “All Hail, the new king in town.”
While the installation of Bailey Zappe as the New England Patriots new starting quarterback appears to be more of an obligation than a coronation, the 24-year-old drew quite a crowd in front of his Patriots locker while speaking with reporters on Thursday afternoon.
Naturally, the question first asked of Zappe just happens to be the one on the minds of everyone in Pats Nation … Will he be the staring quarterback when the Patriots take the field against the Los Angeles Chargers on Sunday at Gillette Stadium?
“Nothing is set in stone", Zappe answered with a sly grin. “ That’s a ‘Coach Belichick’ question … I’ll let him answer that.”
Despite starting each of New England’s 11 games this season, incumbent starter Mac Jones appears set to yield the reins to Zappe for the foreseeable future. The Alabama product has been little more than an observer in practice this week, amid reports that he is “emotionally and mentally beat up.”
The Patriots offense ranks at No. 31 in the NFL with Jones bearing much of the blame. The 25-year-old has completed 224 passes for 2,120 yards, with 10 touchdowns and 12 interceptions. Having been benched in four of the Pats’ contests to date, the need to make a change at the position became almost certainly inevitable.
In spite of Jones’ numerous struggles, the Pats have been reluctant to hand the reins of the offense to Zappe, until now. His difficulties began in preseason, where issues with timing and accuracy placed him far behind Jones in the race to earn New England’s starting job on opening day. He was released during final roster reductions in late August before rejoining the team — first via the practice squad, and then signing to the 53-man roster in September.
In four regular-season relief appearances, Zappe has completed only 19 passes for 158 yards with zero touchdowns and two interceptions. He has routinely shown difficulty in making his reads, as well as getting the ball downfield. As such, it is hard to imagine the Patriots futile offense experiencing significant improvement — even with the necessary transition.
New England Patriots coach Bill Belichick, QB Bailey Zappe
Credit: Boston Herald, MediaNews Group via Getty Images
Still, Zappe has received the majority of the quarterback reps with the first-team offense for the past two days. New England’s actions coincide with a Wednesday evening report from The Athletic, indicating that the Pats were “preparing for Zappe to be the starter” against the Chargers. Yet, Belichick was reticent when asked to officially confirm his “QB1” for Week 13.
“Yeah, I’m not going to make any announcements on our lineup at any position,” Belichick told reporters on Wednesday morning. “So, it doesn’t matter what the position is. We’ll see how practice goes, see if everybody is ready to go. Hopefully everybody is ready to go, see what the injury situation is, and we’ll go with who we think is best on Sunday.”
Fortunately for New England, Zappe is taking his new assignment in stride — undoubtedly hoping to recapture some of his rookie season prowess. While Jones was shelved due to a high ankle sprain in October 2022, Zappe performed well. The then-rookie demonstrated poise, as well as comfort within the Patriots system. He led the Patriots to a 2-0 record during the games in which he started — finishing the season completing 65 of 92 passes for 781 yards with five touchdowns and three interceptions.
“I’m taking it day-by -day,” Zappe said. “Treating every rep I get in practice like it’s a game rep, and preparing like I do every other week.”
Zappe was also determined to keep the curators of controversy at bay when praising his predecessor, and confirming that the Pats would be fighting on a united front as they attempt to return to the win column for the first time since Week 7.
“He’s been very supportive,” Zappe said of Jones. “Our room is a good one, and we all have the same goal … that’s to win.”
The Pats, presumably with Zappe starting at quarterback, are set for a 1 p.m. kickoff against the Chargers on Sunday at Gillette Stadium,.
