New England Patriots quarterback Mac Jones was benched in favor of Bailey Zappe this season, so it’s no surprise that he isn’t exactly too fond of Zappe.
However, the relationship between the two signal-callers was souring long before Zappe usurped Jones as the starter last month, as Jones apparently went out of his way to avoid Zappe during training camp.
Things then got worse during the regular season, like when Patriots fans were booing Jones off the field and calling for Zappe. The relationship between the two has apparently been very icy, as both quarterbacks keep to themselves and hardly talk to one another, via Andrew Callahan of The Boston Herald.
The locker room also began to lose confidence in Jones following a blowout loss to the New Orleans Saints on Oct. 8, which was when New England’s staff began considering a quarterback change. Jones was benched midgame in favor of Zappe that week. That scenario actually occurred four times before Zappe became the permanent starter in Week 13.
To be fair, Zappe recently praised the support of Jones, and other Pats players and coaches have credited Jones for handling his benching well.
But even if the two signal-callers aren’t at each other’s throats, it seems fairly obvious that they don’t have much of a relationship, which is why several members of the Patriots’ organization evidently believe that the team should have brought in a veteran backup to better manage the situation.
The good news is that Jones and Zappe will probably only be teammates in Foxborough for one more game. New England will wrap up the regular season against the New York Jets this Sunday, and the general expectation is that Jones will be traded in the coming months.
More than likely, the Pats will take a quarterback in the NFL Draft this spring, which would also push Zappe back to a reserve role.
Chances are, neither Mac Jones nor Bailey Zappe will be starting under center for the Patriots in 2024.
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