The impressive play of rookie quarterback Bailey Zappe has stirred up some controversy about who should be the long-term starter for the New England Patriots. Former Patriots star Julian Edelman weighed in on the team’s quarterback situation on Wednesday.
On “Inside the NFL,” Edelman revealed that he believes the starting job is Zappe’s to lose if he continues to play well.
“If he continues to play the way he’s playing right now, he has to be the starter,” Edelman said via Patriots beat reporter Dakota Randall about Zappe. “Mac Jones will be coming off a high-ankle sprain. His strengths in the pocket is his ability to move. Zappe matched Mac’s best game last year on the road.”
Patriots head coach Bill Belichick will certainly face a decision if Zappe continues his impressive play while Jones is sidelined. In the past two games, Zappe has completed almost 75% of his passes and thrown for 497 yards, with three TDs and one interception.
Belichick has already revealed that Jones is not guaranteed the job when he returns.
It appears that this offseason has changed things in a negative way for Jones, with the second-year quarterback reportedly having some problems with front-office decisions in New England.
Starting Zappe over Jones would be a tough decision considering the draft capital that the Patriots spent on Jones, the No. 15 overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft.
That being said, Belichick has never been one to shy away from tough quarterback decisions, famously starting Tom Brady’s career by bringing him in off the bench following an injury to Drew Bledsoe.
Zappe certainly is no Brady at this point, but it seems like a possibility that Edelman could be right in his assessment that he could give the Patriots a better chance of winning over Jones.
About Reice Shipley
Reice Shipley is a staff writer for Comeback Media that graduated from Ithaca College with a degree in Sports Media. He previously worked at Barrett Sports Media and is a fan of all things Syracuse sports.