Bailey Zappe discusses Patriots possibly drafting a quarterback

Current New England Patriots starting quarterback Bailey Zappe is ready to fight for his place assuming the club will spend a high draft pick to acquire a young signal-caller this spring. 

"If that's what they decide to do, that's what they decide to do," Zappe said during an appearance on the WEEI "Jones and Mego with Arcand" program about the Patriots likely drafting a quarterback in the first round, as shared by Mike Kadlick of Audacy. "I'm looking forward to competing against whoever comes in here for that job. I'm going to do the same thing I did last offseason: Get ready to be the guy and if my name's called I'm going to do the best thing I can to help the team win."

Zappe, a 2022 fourth-round draft choice, went 2-0 as a starter during his rookie campaign and made it known last spring he was ready to compete with 2021 first-round selection Mac Jones throughout the summer. It's now clear head coach Bill Belichick never gave Zappe a legitimate chance to earn the starting gig ahead of Week 1, but Belichick then benched Jones on multiple occasions this season before making Zappe his QB1 in December. 

Zappe guided the Patriots to two victories across five games but tossed three interceptions in the first half of this past Sunday's 27-21 loss at the Buffalo Bills that dropped New England to 4-12. The 24-year-old knows he must do better to limit avoidable mistakes in this coming Sunday's regular-season finale against the 6-10 New York Jets. 

"I think just, speaking for myself, it’s just being smarter with the ball," Zappe explained. "Understanding what the play is, understanding what we’re trying to attack, understanding what the defense is doing against us on that certain play and just getting it to the guys."

It remains unclear if Patriots owner Robert Kraft will announce a parting of the ways with Belichick as soon as this Monday, but logic suggests either the six-time Super Bowl champion head coach or a different regime will want to land an elite prospect such as Caleb Williams of the USC Trojans or North Carolina Tar Heels star Drake Maye. In their latest mock drafts, Ryan Wilson and Chris Trapasso of CBS Sports both predicted New England would select Maye if he's available when the club is called to use its first pick of this year's draft.