Former New England Patriots quarterback Bailey Zappe has agreed to sign with the Kansas City Chiefs after being waived. The former fourth-round draft pick now lands in a quarterback room with Patrick Mahomes and Carson Wentz.
He will start out with the Chiefs practice squad but could be called up at any moment. NFL insider Ian Rapoport was among the first to break the news of the signing on social media.
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Zappe became a fan favorite in New England during his rookie season. After starter Mac Jones went down with an injury, he took over and injected life into the Patriots offense.
In his two starts, he went 2-0 while throwing for 781 yards and five touchdowns. Zappe was replaced by Jones once he returned but there was thought at one point that he could challenge the former first-round pick for the starting job.
Despite his success, he was cut from the Patriots before the start of the 2023 season. The former Western Kentucky product re-signed onto the Patriots practice squad and eventually was called back up.
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However, his magic seemed to run out after his rookie season as he couldn’t sustain his winning ways. Like most second-year players, Zappe experienced a slump that ended up becoming detrimental to his time on the field.
In his sophomore season, he started six games for the Patriots, going 2-4 in them. Zappe threw for 1,272 yards with six touchdowns and nine interceptions.
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Entering this offseason, many believed that Zappe could be the Patriots’ backup quarterback or even starter. He quickly lost ground to rookie Drake Maye and eventually was surpassed by Joe Milton III.
New England decided to part ways with him but Kansas City quickly grabbed him up in free agency.
He comes to the Chiefs hoping to reclaim the image of himself from his rookie season. If he gets the chance to work with Mahomes, it could heavily benefit his career moving forward.
It’s unlikely that Zappe will ever get playing time for Kansas City. The former college star owns a record of 4-4 over eight starts, throwing for 2,053 yards with 11 touchdowns and 12 interceptions in his career.
Kansas City is going for its third straight Super Bowl, giving Zappe a chance to be part of something special. No team in the Super Bowl era has ever three-peated so the Chiefs have an opportunity to make some NFL history this season.
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