Patriots' Bailey Zappe ready to compete with Mac Jones for starting QB job

New England Patriots quarterback Bailey Zappe is ready to compete with Mac Jones for the starting job depending on what head coach Bill Belichick has planned for summer workouts. 

"If my opportunity presents itself, I’m going to take full advantage of it," Zappe said at a youth football clinic on Wednesday, as shared by Zack Cox of NESN. "I’m going to do everything I can to help the team win. That’s really all I can say from that standpoint. That’s Coach Belichick’s decision, whatever he decides. But if the opportunity presents itself, I’m going to be ready and take advantage of it." 

Zappe, a 2022 rookie, handled QB1 duties last fall while Jones recovered from a high-ankle sprain. Across two starts and four appearances, Zappe completed 65-of-92 passes (70.7%) for 781 yards with five touchdowns and three interceptions. 

Jones ultimately returned to the top of the depth chart, but former Patriots safety Devin McCourty and sports talk host Dan Patrick have revealed that some New England players wanted Zappe to remain the team's starter even after the 2021 first-round draft pick was cleared to return to action. 

It's been a fascinating offseason regarding New England's quarterback situation, as Jones has been the subject of conflicting trade rumors from February through this week. Belichick has repeatedly declined to publicly commit to anybody as his starter since January, and it's believed Jones and Zappe will compete for the gig beginning when the team's offseason program gets underway this coming Monday. 

The Patriots are reportedly among a handful of teams that won't be pursuing Baltimore Ravens star quarterback Lamar Jackson ahead of the upcoming draft even though he can speak with other clubs per the terms of the non-exclusive franchise tag. While Jones allegedly has plenty of support inside of the Patriots organization, Belichick seems keen on giving Zappe more than just a couple of first-team snaps during training camp sessions.