Patriots: Bailey Zappe gets honest on relationship with Mac Jones

Amid a competition for the Patriots' starting QB job, Bailey Zappe had nothing but kind words for his teammate Mac Jones.

What is going on in New England right now? Before the 2022 season, everyone expected Mac Jones to be the full-time starter for the New England Patriots moving forward. After their disastrous season, though… fans aren't quite sure. Suddenly, there's a QB competition between Jones and backup Bailey Zappe. Jones is still expected to be the Day 1 starter, but how does Zappe feel about all of this?

Well, the young quarterback is taking this drama in stride. Bailey Zappe talked about the competition he has with Mac Jones. The Patriots' backup QB said both him and Jones have taken this experience as a way to learn from each other, per Karen Guregian.

“It’s been good,” Zappe said. “I mean, we’re teammates. We’re together all day, every day. In the QB room together. You know, over these last two years, I feel like both of us have been able to help each other both get better on and off the field. I’ve learned a lot from him and, hopefully, I’m kind of helping out with him. Trying to help him learn some stuff. But we’re teammates, we want what’s best for the team (Patriots) and that’s to win.”

However, that does not necessarily mean that Zappe is giving up on the starting QB job. The Patriots have said that the QB job is open for competition, and Zappe is doing everything he can to win that job.

“Like Coach Bill (Belichick) said at the beginning of the offseason, everybody’s competing for a spot,” Zappe said. “So, that’s the way I’m approaching it. Like I said earlier, I’m taking every rep like a game rep. So, (I’m) trying to get better every day.”

Mac Jones had a sub-par 2022 season, due to a multitude of reasons. Some of it was due to Jones' own regression, but there was a lot of factors that also affected his play. The Patriots' offensive system was a mess due to the playcallers at the helm. Matt Patricia and Joe Judge's incompetence certainly didn't help the struggling Jones. If Jones' performance improves with Bill O'Brien now calling the shots, his job is safe. Once he starts struggling, though… we might see the return of the Zappe.