Patriots quarterback Bailey Zappe confident in his ability to ‘lead a team and win games’

Zappe took over as the Patriots’ starter in December, and went 2-4 in his six starts.

Coming off a season that saw them ranked last in the NFL in points, the New England Patriots are expected to address their quarterback position in the offseason. Until a move actually happens, however, Bailey Zappe remains the top option on the depth chart.

A fourth-round draft pick in 2022, Zappe spent his first one and a half seasons backing up Mac Jones. With the starter struggling to play consistent football, however, he got his chance in Week 13 and never looked back: the Western Kentucky product started the final six games of the season, with Jones demoted to a backup role.

New England’s offense showed some signs of life with Zappe under center, but the results were mostly the same. The team went 2-4 with him under center, averaging just 14.7 points per game (compared to 13.5 with Jones as the starter).

Nonetheless, Zappe is confident in his ability to play winning football for the Patriots.

“I have the confidence in myself to know that I think I can go out there and lead a team and win games,” he said during his final media availability of the 2023 season on Monday.

As for the uncertainty surrounding his position, he confirmed his desire to remain in New England and continue working as QB1.

“Of course, I want it to be here. I’ve always dreamt of playing in the NFL, and of course, I want to be a Patriot,” he said. “So, whatever is decided this offseason, I’ll be ready for training camp. I’ll come to compete and do everything I can to help this team win. Hopefully, that’s as starter, and hopefully we can win.”

After replacing Jones off the bench in three games earlier during the season, the Patriots handed Zappe the reins to their offense in early December. Over his six contests in the starting lineup, he he completed 108 of 173 pass attempts for 1,114 yards with six touchdowns and seven interceptions.

Including his time as an in-game replacement, Zappe ended the 2023 season with 10 total turnovers: he threw nine interceptions and also lost a fumble. Heading into what shapes up to be a pivotal third offseason, cutting back on those giveaways is one of his goals.

“Eliminating turnovers, that’s probably the biggest thing,” he said. “As you look back through these six games that I started, those are the things that kind of stand out, of course. If you take those away, what happens these last six games? Who knows.

“So, those are things that throughout this offseason — watching film, getting with the coaches, kind of getting a better understanding of how to eliminate those and do a better job at that, and of course we’ll win a lot of games next season.”