Bailey Zappe

Bailey Zappe is a quarterback for the New York Jets, signed to a reserve/future contract on January 12, 2026 and listed at No. 11. A 2022 fourth-round pick of the New England Patriots out of Western Kentucky, Zappe holds the FBS single-season records for passing yards and passing touchdowns and has started eight NFL games across stops in New England and Cleveland. He entered the 2026 season competing for the job behind Geno Smith and is the third quarterback on the Jets’ unofficial depth chart, ahead of Brady Cook and behind rookie Cade Klubnik.

Background & Path to the Jets

Zappe began his college career at Houston Baptist, where he started as a freshman in 2017 and became the program’s centerpiece passer, throwing for 3,811 yards and 35 touchdowns in 2019 before a COVID-shortened 2020 season. He then transferred to Western Kentucky for 2021 and produced one of the great statistical seasons in college football history: 5,967 passing yards and 62 touchdowns, both FBS single-season records, capped by a record-setting Boca Raton Bowl. He was named Conference USA MVP and won the Earl Campbell Tyler Rose Award.

The Patriots drafted him 137th overall in the fourth round of the 2022 NFL Draft. He debuted in Week 4 of his rookie year against Green Bay and made his first start the following week against Detroit, going 17-of-21 for 188 yards. He started six more games in 2023 before New England moved on. Stints followed with Kansas City and Cleveland — he started the Browns’ Week 18 game against Baltimore to close the 2024 season — before he signed a reserve/future deal with the Jets on January 12, 2026, at the start of general manager Darren Mougey’s reset of the quarterback room.

Career Statistics

NFL regular-season passing by season. Zappe’s 2024 appearance with Cleveland was a single start in Week 18; full splits for that game are not consistently reported and are omitted rather than estimated.

College highlight: 5,967 passing yards and 62 touchdowns at Western Kentucky in 2021, both FBS single-season records.

Strengths

• Timing and anticipation: at his best in a rhythm passing game, throwing receivers open on schedule rather than waiting for separation.
• Quick processing on first reads: decisive when the pre-snap picture matches what he expects post-snap.
• Command of a full playbook: four NFL seasons and nine starts across three organizations give him the install-and-operate experience a QB3 needs to be useful in an emergency.
• Accuracy in the short and intermediate game: career 62.1 completion percentage despite playing behind unsettled offensive lines.
• Production pedigree: the FBS single-season passing records are not an accident of system alone — he was accurate and prolific at volume.

Weaknesses

• Arm strength: below the NFL median, which narrows the deep and outside-the-numbers throws available to him.
• Turnovers: 14 interceptions against 12 touchdowns in his career, including 11 picks in 2023.
• Performance under pressure: his accuracy and decision-making fall off sharply when the pocket collapses.
• Size and mobility: 6-foot-1, 220 pounds and not a threat to extend plays or punish defenses on designed runs.
• Preseason evidence in 2026: two interceptions and a 35.4 rating against Tampa Bay put him behind a rookie on the depth chart rather than ahead of one.

Fit With the 2026 Jets

The Jets signed Zappe as insurance, not as a plan. With Geno Smith entrenched as Aaron Glenn’s starter and Cade Klubnik drafted in the fourth round as the developmental piece, the realistic ceiling for Zappe in New York was the QB2 job — the veteran who can run Frank Reich’s offense competently for a few weeks if Smith misses time, without demanding developmental snaps of his own.

That is a genuinely valuable role, and it is the role Zappe has filled before. The complication is that Klubnik has outperformed him in camp and in the preseason, which pushes Zappe from “useful veteran backup” toward “third quarterback on a roster that may not want to spend a spot on one.” Carrying three quarterbacks is a real strategic choice rather than a default, and it is one the Jets have to weigh against depth at edge, corner and interior offensive line. If Zappe does not make the 53, the practice squad is the natural landing spot — though local coverage has been skeptical even of that.

For the broader picture on how this decision gets made, see our explainer on why the Jets carry three quarterbacks, and the current depth chart.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Is Bailey Zappe on the Jets?

Yes. Zappe signed a reserve/future contract with the New York Jets on January 12, 2026 and wears No. 11. He is listed as the third quarterback on the Jets’ unofficial depth chart behind Geno Smith and Cade Klubnik, and he is a cut candidate ahead of the reduction to 53 players.

What team drafted Bailey Zappe?

The New England Patriots drafted Zappe in the fourth round of the 2022 NFL Draft, 137th overall, out of Western Kentucky. He has since spent time with the Kansas City Chiefs and Cleveland Browns before signing with the Jets.

What are Bailey Zappe’s college records?

In his one season at Western Kentucky in 2021, Zappe threw for 5,967 yards and 62 touchdowns, both FBS single-season records. He was named Conference USA MVP and won the Earl Campbell Tyler Rose Award.

Who is the Jets’ backup quarterback in 2026?

As of late August 2026 the Jets have not named a backup. Rookie fourth-round pick Cade Klubnik has outperformed Zappe in camp and the preseason and is listed ahead of him, with Brady Cook also in the room. Geno Smith is the starter.

More on the Jets quarterback room

• Jets sign Zappe to a reserve/future contract — the original January signing story
• Geno Smith — the starter
• Cade Klubnik — the rookie
• Current Jets depth chart
• Jets quarterback history
• What is the NFL practice squad?