Who is Bailey Zappe, the 3rd Patriots QB who played against the Packers? Age, draft, college...
After a prolific time in college, the rookie finally got a chance to show his skills on the biggest stage of all, but who is he and where did he come from?
When he made his debut on Sunday night against Aaron Rodgers and the Green Bay Packers, few would have expected him to play as well as he did, but it appears there is a lot more to the Patriots 3rd string QB than previously thought.
Who is Bailey Zappe?
A fourth round (137th overall) by the New England Patriots in the 2022 NFL Draft, Bailey Zappe is now the Patriots 3rd string quarterback behind Mac Jones and Brian Hoyer. A former Western Kentucky player, Zappe actually started out at Houston Baptist University in 2017, before making the switch to Kentucky in 2021. Born on April 26th, 1999 in Victoria, Texas, the 6-foot-1 QB weighs in at a solid 215 pounds. It’s worth mentioning that the signal caller actually enjoyed a stellar college career. In 2021 alone, he was voted C-USA Most Valuable Player, selected for the First-team All-C-USA and even received the Earl Campbell Tyler Rose Award.
How good was Bailey Zappe in college?
As mentioned before, Zappe’s college career began at Houston Baptist. There, he started nine games in his first year (2017) and would go on to pass for 1,548 yards, five touchdowns and 10 interceptions while adding two TDs on the ground as well. In his second season with the Huskies, Zappe completed 357-of-560 passes for 3,811 yards, 35 TDs and 15 INTs. He threw for an impressive 1,833 yards, 15 TDs and one INT in four games during a 2020 campaign that was shortened by covid-19.
Following his run in 2020, Zappe entered the transfer portal and joined Western Kentucky. It was there that his talent would truly show, as he would go on to lead the FBS with 5,545 passing yards and 56 touchdowns, before adding a further 422 passing yards and five TDs in the 2021 Boca Raton Bowl against Appalachian State. Indeed, he would be voted 2021 Boca Raton Bowl Offensive MVP. To date, Zappe holds NCAA records for single-season passing yards (5,967) and TDs (62).
Where is Bailey Zappe at with the Patriots?
While it’s not certain how things will pan out from here, it can’t be denied that Zappe put in a credible shift against one of the NFL’s better teams and the reigning league MVP. Indeed, the rookie got himself a touchdown. With that in mind it would be logical to think that the Patriots may yet utilize their No. 3 quarterback somewhat more. As things stand Zappe is on a standard four-year rookie contract worth up to $4.3 million with a $647,070 signing bonus. As of 2022, he carries an $866,768 cap hit.