Bailey Zappe is out of the competition to be the backup Jets quarterback.
If such a competition ever really existed.
Text with Brian Costello all season as he brings Sports+ subscribers the latest Jets intel from on the field and off.
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Zappe, who started eight games for the Patriots in 2022 and 2023 when he was nipping at the heels of starter Mac Jones, and defensive tackle Mazi Smith were released Saturday by the Jets, ESPN reported.
Head coach Aaron Glenn declined Friday to officially name rookie Cade Klubnik as the top option behind starter Geno Smith, but it is no secret that the team is leaning in that direction after the fourth-round draft pick ran the second-team offense all summer.
Jets quarterback Bailey Zappe throws during practice. Bill Kostroun/New York Post
Zappe and Brady Cook, who went 0-4 as an undrafted rookie last season, were splitting third-team reps. Cook is a candidate for the practice squad, assuming he is released before 6 p.m. Sunday when the roster goes from 90 to 53 players.
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Zappe last started a game (one) for the 2024 Browns. He completed two of five passes and took two sacks Friday night in the preseason finale against the Giants.
Jets quarterback Bailey Zappe (11) hands the ball off to running back Kene Nwangwu (3) during the first half of a preseason game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Friday, Aug. 14, 2026, in East Rutherford, NJ. Bill Kostroun/New York Post
The depth chart will change if the Jets decide to add a veteran quarterback behind Smith and bump Klubnik to third-stringer after he struggled in the final two preseason games, including his interception against the Giants. But then the Jets would have to carry three quarterbacks on the 53-man roster or risk exposing Klubnik to waivers.
The Jets signed Zappe in January. But there was no guaranteed money and thus no dead-cap charge on his one-year, $1.2 million contract.
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Smith is a former first-round pick of the Cowboys who was sent to the Jets as a throw-in part of the return in the Quinnen Williams trade last November.
He appeared in only three games last season and couldn’t crack the defensive line rotation during the summer despite ample opportunity (61 snaps) in preseason games.
