New England Patriots backup signal-caller Bailey Zappe has a strong relationship with Mac Jones, despite all of the talk last season of a brewing quarterback competition.
Zappe came in as a starter for the Patriots for two games last season, while Jones was recovering from an injury. The Western Kentucky product recorded 781 passing yards, five touchdowns and three interceptions. He won both contests he started in.
This led to New England’s Monday night contest against the Chicago Bears. Jones started in the game, which was his first back from injury, and struggled on the field. He was eventually benched to a chorus of boos at Gillette Stadium.
Zappe entered the game and didn’t do much better.
It was a whirlwind season for both quarterbacks, and media questions arose about who should start the remainder of the season. The Patriots ended up sticking with Jones the rest of the way, and so far, that still seems to be the case heading into the 2023 season as well.
Despite all this, Zappe claimed he still has a good relationship with Jones when speaking with media members.
Bailey Zappe on his relationship with Mac Jones:
"Good. We're teammates, we're together all day. … I feel like both of us have been able to help each other get better. … I've learned a lot from him, and hopefully I'm helping out with him. Trying to help him learn some stuff" pic.twitter.com/2NIGaJ58Nt
— Dakota Randall (@DakRandall) June 9, 2023
The Patriots will look to get more consistent quarterback play from both parties in 2023. At the very least, there appears to be no animosity between the two teammates.
