.png) Zappe in 2022 | |||||||||||||||
| Kansas City Chiefs | |||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Position: | Quarterback | ||||||||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||||||||
| Born: | (1999-04-26)April 26, 1999 (age 26) Victoria, Texas, U.S. | ||||||||||||||
| Height: | 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) | ||||||||||||||
| Weight: | 215 lb (98 kg) | ||||||||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||||||||
| High school: | Victoria East (Victoria, Texas) | ||||||||||||||
| College: |
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| NFL draft: | 2022: 4th round, 137th pick | ||||||||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||||||||
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| * Offseason and/or practice squad member only | |||||||||||||||
| Roster status: | Active | ||||||||||||||
| Career highlights and awards | |||||||||||||||
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| Career NFL statistics as of Week 18, 2024 | |||||||||||||||
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Bailey Michael Zappe (/ˈzæpi/,ZAP-ee)[1] (born April 26, 1999)[2] is an American professionalfootballquarterback for theKansas City Chiefs of theNational Football League (NFL). He playedcollege football for theHouston Baptist Huskies and theWestern Kentucky Hilltoppers, where he set theFBS season records for passing yards and passing touchdowns before being selected by theNew England Patriots in the fourth round of the2022 NFL draft.
Zappe grew up inVictoria, Texas, and attendedVictoria East High School.[3] As a senior, he passed for 3,770 yards and 37 touchdowns, while rushing for 633 yards and scoring 15 touchdowns.[4] Zappe was not heavily recruited and committed to playcollege football atHouston Baptist University, which was his only scholarship offer.[5] Victoria East retired Zappe's No. 4 jersey in 2023.[6]
Zappe started nine games in his first year for theHuskies at Houston Baptist, passing for 1,548 yards with five touchdowns and 10 interceptions while rushing for two more touchdowns.[7] As a redshirt sophomore, he completed 357 of 560 passes for 3,811 yards with 35 touchdowns and 15 interceptions.[8][9] As a redshirt junior, he passed for 1,833 yards and 15 touchdowns against one interception in four games in a shortened season after theSouthland Conference fall football season was canceled due to theCOVID-19 pandemic. Zappe entered the transfer portal after the season.[10]
Zappe committed to transfer toWestern Kentucky University, following former Houston Baptist offensive coordinatorZach Kittley.[11][12] Zappe's top wide receiver at Houston Baptist,Jerreth Sterns, also transferred to Western Kentucky.[13][12] Zappe was named theHilltoppers' starting quarterback going into the 2021 season.[14] In his first start for Western Kentucky, he passed for 424 yards and seven touchdowns in a 59–21 win overTennessee-Martin.[15][16]
During the 2021 regular season, Zappe led theFootball Bowl Subdivision (FBS) passing for 5,545 yards and throwing for 56 touchdowns. Before the2021 Boca Raton Bowl, he had thrown for nearly 1,100 yards more than the second-ranked FBS quarterback (Will Rogers ofMississippi State), and was within striking distance of the FBS records for passing yardage and touchdowns, set byB. J. Symons ofTexas Tech in 2003 andJoe Burrow ofLSU in 2019, respectively. In the2021 Boca Raton Bowl against theAppalachian State Mountaineers, he broke both records, finishing the season with 5,967 passing yards and 62 touchdowns.[17][a]
| Legend | |
|---|---|
| FCS/FBS record | |
| Led the Southland/C-USA | |
| Bold | Career best |
| Italics | Led FCS/FBS |
| Season | Passing | Rushing | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cmp | Att | Pct | Yds | TD | Int | Rtg | Att | Yds | Avg | TD | |||||
| Houston Baptist Huskies | |||||||||||||||
| 2017 | 150 | 266 | 56.4 | 1,548 | 5 | 10 | 103.9 | 81 | 50 | 0.6 | 2 | ||||
| 2018 | 252 | 436 | 57.8 | 2,822 | 23 | 13 | 123.6 | 118 | 179 | 1.5 | 1 | ||||
| 2019 | 357 | 560 | 63.8 | 3,811 | 35 | 15 | 136.2 | 53 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | ||||
| 2020 | 141 | 215 | 65.6 | 1,833 | 15 | 1 | 159.3 | 19 | 14 | 0.7 | 0 | ||||
| Western Kentucky Hilltoppers | |||||||||||||||
| 2021 | 476 | 687 | 69.3 | 5,967 | 62 | 11 | 167.5 | 51 | 17 | 0.3 | 3 | ||||
| Total | 1,376 | 2,164 | 63.6 | 15,981 | 140 | 50 | 138.1 | 322 | 260 | 0.8 | 6 | ||||
| Height | Weight | Arm length | Hand span | 40-yard dash | 10-yard split | 20-yard split | 20-yard shuttle | Three-cone drill | Vertical jump | Broad jump | Wonderlic | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 ft0+1⁄2 in (1.84 m) | 215 lb (98 kg) | 31+3⁄8 in (0.80 m) | 9+3⁄4 in (0.25 m) | 4.88 s | 1.60 s | 2.74 s | 4.40 s | 7.19 s | 30.0 in (0.76 m) | 9 ft 1 in (2.77 m) | 35[19] | |
| All values fromNFL Combine[20][21] | ||||||||||||
TheNew England Patriots selected Zappe in the fourth round of the2022 NFL draft with the 137th overall pick.[17] He was named the third-string quarterback for the 2022 season behind starterMac Jones and second-string backupBrian Hoyer.[22]
When an injury rendered Jones inactive for Week 4 against theGreen Bay Packers, Zappe was promoted to the second option behind Hoyer, but made his NFL debut the same game after Hoyer was injured on his first drive.[23][24] He completed 10 of 15 passes for 99 yards and a touchdown in the 27–24 loss.[25] Zappe was also the first rookie to throw a touchdown pass during the season.[26] He made his starting debut the following week against theDetroit Lions, completing 17 of 21 passes for 188 yards, a touchdown, and an interception in the 29–0 shutout victory.[27] After a Week 6 victory over theCleveland Browns, during which he threw for 309 yards and two touchdowns, Zappe became theSuper Bowl era's first rookie quarterback to win his first two starts and have a passer rating of at least 100 in each.[28]
Zappe was named the backup in the Week 7Monday Night Football matchup with theChicago Bears due to Jones' return, but relieved a struggling Jones during the second quarter.[29] He threw a touchdown pass on his first drive and led the Patriots to a touchdown on his second, but did not score again and threw two interceptions in the 33–14 defeat.[30] Zappe was retained as the team's backup behind Jones for the remainder the season.[31]
On August 29, 2023, Zappe was waived by the Patriots as part of final roster cuts.[32] He was then re-signed to the team's practice squad the following day.[33] On September 9, Zappe was signed to the active roster.[34]
After making several relief appearances throughout the season, Zappe was named the starter against theLos Angeles Chargers after struggles from Mac Jones.[35] The Patriots lost 6–0 as Zappe completed 13 of 25 passes for 141 yards,[36] marking Zappe's first loss as a starter. He started the following game against thePittsburgh Steelers, leading the Patriots to a 21–18 upset win as he passed for 3 touchdowns in the first half.[37]Zappe led the Patriots to another upset win over theDenver Broncos,[38] but struggled against theBuffalo Bills andNew York Jets in the Patriots' final two games of the season,[39] throwing for less than 300 yards, five interceptions and no touchdowns in those two games combined, including three interceptions in the first half of the Bills game alone.[40]
On August 26, 2024, Zappe was waived by the Patriots as part of the final roster cuts.[41]
On August 28, 2024, Zappe was signed to the practice squad of theKansas City Chiefs.[42]
On October 22, 2024, Zappe was signed to the active roster of theCleveland Browns from theKansas City Chiefs practice squad following a season-ending achilles tear for Browns' starterDeshaun Watson.[43] On January 2, 2025, Zappe was announced as Cleveland's starting quarterback for their Week 18 game against theBaltimore Ravens.[44]
On March 17, 2025, Zappe signed a one-year contract with the Kansas City Chiefs.[45]
| Year | Team | Games | Passing | Rushing | Sacks | Fumbles | ||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GP | GS | Record | Cmp | Att | Pct | Yds | Avg | Lng | TD | Int | Rtg | Att | Yds | Avg | Lng | TD | Sck | Yds | Fum | Lost | ||
| 2022 | NE | 4 | 2 | 2–0 | 65 | 92 | 70.7 | 781 | 8.5 | 53 | 5 | 3 | 100.9 | 10 | 0 | 0.0 | 5 | 0 | 6 | 40 | 4 | 3 |
| 2023 | NE | 10 | 6 | 2–4 | 127 | 212 | 59.9 | 1,272 | 6.0 | 48 | 6 | 9 | 68.8 | 17 | 83 | 4.9 | 18 | 1 | 25 | 191 | 2 | 1 |
| 2024 | CLE | 1 | 1 | 0–1 | 16 | 31 | 51.6 | 170 | 5.5 | 30 | 1 | 2 | 51.8 | 2 | 2 | 1.0 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 0 | 0 |
| Career | 15 | 9 | 4–5 | 208 | 335 | 62.1 | 2,223 | 6.6 | 53 | 12 | 14 | 76.0 | 29 | 85 | 2.9 | 18 | 1 | 32 | 236 | 6 | 4 | |
