Patriots’ QB room dubbed TOXIC as Bailey Zappe reportedly opted for receiver room for tape analysis

The New England Patriots won only four games this season.

Patriots’ QB room dubbed TOXIC as Bailey Zappe reportedly opted for receiver room for tape analysis

Mac Jones and Bailey Zappe (Image via SI)

It should come as no surprise that the quarterback room of the New England Patriots was a complete mess in 2023. It was a very difficult journey, with Bailey Zappe eventually assuming the starting role after Mac Jones had earned it early on.

Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated shed some light on this, tracing its origins back to the 2022 season. Jones, he said, was “well-liked early on, but, over time, lost support in the building.” Breer further added:

And the quarterback room he was in the last two years got toxic, to the point where Bailey Zappe, as a rookie, sometimes watched tape in the receiver room.
Albert Breer added
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It’s not surprising that Jones lost support. After his rookie season, the quarterback was genuinely having trouble, which caused him to commit a lot of errors that frequently resulted in turnovers and occasionally even cost the team the game.

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Last season, it reached its lowest point when Jones was at the center of the Patriots’ defense’s public outbursts regarding the offense’s lack of output. A recent report highlighted how, by the end of the season, Jones’ communication with head coach Bill Belichick had completely stopped, giving the impression that his time in New England was over.

But now that Jerod Mayo is in charge, it’s unclear whether Jones will be back in New England. And the rumors grew once again after he attended Mayo’s introductory press conference alongside a few of his other teammates. 

Former Patriots QB Tom Brady cited broken relationship with Bill Belichick as the reason for not coming back

For Tom Brady, Bill Belichick was just too much. Together, the Hall of Fame coach and equally Hall of Fame quarterback won six Super Bowls in New England, but by the time Brady, now 46, reached free agency in 2019, Belichick had worn him out, as Brady stated in Apple’s upcoming docuseries, “The Dynasty.”

Tom Brady with Bill Belichick
Tom Brady with Bill Belichick (Via Yahoo Sports)

Brady said:

Me and Coach Belichick, we did what we loved and competed for 20 years together. But I wasn't going to sign another contract [in New England] even if I wanted to play until [I was] 50. Based on how things had gone, I wasn't going to sign up for more of it.
Tom Brady said in the documentary

Brady agreed to a new contract with the Patriots before the 2019 campaign, which prohibited them from giving him true free agency after the season by using the franchise or transition tag.

After 20 seasons together, the most successful quarterback-coach combination in NFL history called it quits. They made nine trips to the Super Bowl, won six titles, and participated in thirteen AFC Championship Games.

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