The 2024 NFL draft has come and gone. Quarterbacks were all the rage this year as six found new homes in the first twelve selections. In total, 10 quarterbacks were drafted. The New England Patriots double-dipped at the QB position and took two, adding to the three already rostered.
The team selected Drake Maye third overall then followed that up by selecting Joe Milton III with the 193rd pick. In the aftermath of the draft, it now feels like Bailey Zappe is the odd man out in the recently filled-to-the-brim quarterback room of the New England Patriots.
A locker room that began with Jacoby Brissett and Bailey Zappe has radically increased in depth throughout the offseason. It started when the Patriots re-signed Nathan Rourke during the FA signing period, increasing the number of quarterbacks on the depth chart to the league average of three players.
The Pats then drafted two others during the draft, ballooning their depth chart to five quarterbacks on the roster—far too many for a team to hold.
Due to the sudden increase in quarterbacks on New England's roster, the Patriots should look into moving the 25-year-old quarterback out of Western Kentucky.
3 trade destinations for the newly outcasted Patriots quarterback
The Patriots should look to trade Bailey Zappe and recoup as many assets as they can.
Cincinnati Bengals
At first glance, the Bengals might not seem like a plausible destination for Bailey Zappe. However, look a bit further, and you'll see a team struggling to keep their other-worldly quarterback, Joe Burrow, healthy. This is obviously problematic.
The current backup for Burrow is Jake Browning, who did a decent job stepping in for him last season while he was hurt. But decent isn't ideal when trying to win a Championship, and having too many quality backups is never a bad idea.
Apart from Burrow's injury concerns, the Cincinnati Bengals could use a backup quarterback with a similar skill set to Zappe's. He played a pivotal role in the high-scoring offenses at Western Kentucky, and with the presence of talented players such as Ja'Marr Chase, Tee Higgins, and his former teammate Mike Gesicki, Zappe could replicate some of the successes he had in college.
The compensation required to make the trade would be marginal at best. The Bengals could easily acquire Zappe for a day three draft pick in an upcoming draft, which makes this trade one I could see easily happening.
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3 trade destinations for the newly outcasted Patriots quarterback
Carolina Panthers
The Carolina Panthers have former first-overall pick Bryce Young as their starting quarterback and veteran journeyman Andy Dalton as his backup. Other than those two, that's it. The logic behind including Carolina as a trade destination is simple - they could use more bodies.
Andy Dalton is 36 years young. Bryce Young has a slender frame and was sacked over 60 times last season. This team is a few bad plays away from disaster striking. The Panthers should plan ahead of time and get a veteran like Zappe on the team now to bring him up to speed in case something does go awry this season.
Zappe could easily be Young's long-term backup once Dalton officially hangs up the cleats. Having a decent backup like Zappe would be a nice extra layer of security for a franchise looking to get back into the fray.
3 trade destinations for the newly outcasted Patriots quarterback
New York Giants
Ohhh the G-Men... where to even begin?
They clearly regret giving Daniel Jones a 4-year, $160M contract last offseason, but didn't regret it enough to draft a quarterback this past draft. They signed Drew Lock to a one-year, $5M deal to backup Jones, seemingly alleviating Tommy "Cutlets" Devito of that duty.
Needless to say, this quarterback room is a mess. Bailey Zappe could be a breath of fresh air to a stagnant, stale QB room. He won't save the Giants franchise by any means, but he offers legitimate upside as a 25-year-old with good deep ball touch. Daniel Jones is still recovering from a torn ACL suffered in November 2023. There's a real chance he is not ready to go by the beginning of the season.
A trade for Zappe provides legitimate backup quarterback competition while simultaneously providing the necessary depth while Jones recovers from his torn ACL.
Wherever Zappe ends up, it's safe to say that his time is most likely done in New England. This is not the front office that initially brought him in and the team just drafted two younger and more promising players at his position.
Zappe can be a decent stop-gap quarterback and a serviceable backup. If the Patriots make him available, I imagine multiple teams would be interested.