The New England Patriots are looking for redemption after a very disappointing 2022 season which finished with an 8-9 record. They had a shot at the playoffs in the final week of the calendar, but lost against the Buffalo Bills.
Though Mac Jones will remain as the starting quarterback, many experts believed Bill Belichick would at least find a big name to put some pressure on him. However, that didn’t seem to happen.
After Tom Brady announced his retirement, the legendary head coach hasn’t been able to find the formula for success. Now, just a few days before a new season in the NFL, Belichick left everyone surprised.
Who will be the quarterback of the New England Patriots?
On Tuesday, Bailey Zappe and Malik Cunningham were waived by the New England Patriots. So, at that moment, Mac Jones was the only quarterback remaining in the roster. No one could believe what was unfolding.
The case of Zappe was very intriguing. He is a second-year quarterback who in 2022 showed some sparks when replacing Jones. Nevertheless, it didn’t seem enough to convince Bill Belichick.
Then, just 24 hours later, guess what. Bailey Zappe and Malik Cunningham have both re-signed with the team’s practice squad. So, the head coach let them go through waivers, but was almost certain they would fall into his lap again.
In fact, Belichick already warned the media that was the plan before the moves were made. “Some players that we release will come back and play for us, be on the practice squad. We don’t know exactly who they’ll be, but we have a general idea.”
Of course, the Patriots could still go on and look for a backup quarterback for Mac Jones knowing they could make Zappe available at any time for the opener. Nevertheless, this was another one of those head-scratching ‘Bill Belichick decisions’.