Patriots captain reacts to surprising Zappe decision

New England Patriots wide receiver Matthew Slater. Eric Canha-USA TODAY Sports

Patriots captain reacts to surprising Bailey Zappe decision

By Zac Wassink | Last updated 8/29/23

Longtime New England Patriots special teams captain Matthew Slater was surprised by the team's decision to part ways with backup quarterback Bailey Zappe as part of final cuts made on Tuesday.

"I guess I’ve learned to expect the unexpected," Slater said while speaking with reporters on Tuesday afternoon, per Zack Cox of NESN. "You just worry about the things that you can control. You keep your head down and hope that you do a good enough job, and you support your teammates. Certainly, something like that is, I guess, surprising for a lot of us, but that’s just the nature of the business."

Zappe joined the Patriots as a 2022 fourth-round draft pick and went 2-0 in his rookie starts when Mac Jones was sidelined with a high-ankle sprain.

In total, Zappe completed 65 of 92 pass attempts (70.7%) for 781 yards with five touchdowns and three interceptions during his debut pro campaign.

It was thought this past spring that Zappe would receive a legitimate opportunity to compete with Jones this summer for the starting job after it was rumored that head coach Bill Belichick may have shopped the 2021 first-round draft pick this offseason.

However, Cox mentioned that Zappe "never truly threatened" Jones up through the team's preseason finale against the Tennessee Titans this past Friday.

"I know he’ll land on his feet and do a great job," Slater added about Zappe, "and I also trust that coach is always doing what’s in the best interest of the football team and putting us in the best position to have success. So, mixed emotions on that, but I love Bailey. He knows how I feel about him. He’s one of my favorite kids of all time."

Jones ended Tuesday as the only quarterback on New England's active roster after the club cut both Zappe and undrafted rookie Malik Cunningham. The Patriots could look to sign both players to their practice squad if they clear waivers.

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