The New England Patriots quarterback room looks completely different heading into the 2024 season. Only one quarterback from last year's team remains, with the team having traded Mac Jones to the Jacksonville Jaguars and released Nathan Rourke. 

So that just left Bailey Zappe. 

However, the Patriots were looking for the next person who could help take the team back to the top. So they brought in veteran quarterback Jacoby Brissett and drafted Drake Maye and Joe Milton III. 

Having used the No. 3 overall pick on Maye, it became pretty clear that New England saw him as the next face of the franchise. And Brissett was seen as the mentor for the younger guys, while also having the ability to serve as the starter while the rookie gets used to the pace of the NFL. 

So with Brissett, Maye, and Milton, there didn't seem to be a place for Zappe anymore. Head coach Jerod Mayo praised how Zappe has handled everything while also acknowledging that it is clearly an "awkward" situation.

“I would put (Zappe) in the same category that we talked about Brian (Belichick), how it’s awkward for Brian and he’s handled it well. The same thing for Zappe,” Mayo said. “I think he has handled it fantastically. Look, he is getting reps out here. You guys see him out here, and I would say he is getting better.”

Brissett expanded upon that. 

“Man, I like Zap a lot. He just goes out there and competes,” Brissett said following Wednesday’s OTAs. “And, the elephant in the room … this is a tough situation for him, and he’s accepted that. He’s going out there every day, and competed, and is doing a really good job, and making a lot of plays. I’m excited for his growth.”

However, Zappe is only focused on one thing: playing football. 

"I guess you could say it’s awkward the first few times you meet each other, because you don’t really know each other yet,” Zappe said. “But once you get to know each other, you understand everyone has the same common goal, and that’s to win games.

“Obviously, we all want to go out there, we all want to be the quarterback, we all want to be the starter, but there’s only one guy that can go out there… And all of us that aren’t out there are going to help that guy, no matter what.”

And according to him, that "elephant in the room" that Brissett mentioned, hasn't come up yet. 

“To be honest with you, I don’t think it’s ever really came up in a conversation,” Zappe said. “I think we all love ball, we all want to win. And that’s kind of been the conversation.

“We all get along well. There really hasn’t been any true awkwardness. Like I said, maybe the first couple of days you meet each other, because you really don’t know each other. Now, it’s running smooth and it’s a great quarterback room.”

The goal for the quarterback room is to narrow it down from four to three players once the season rolls around. And so that makes it fairly clear that it's between Zappe and Milton for that third spot. 

So let the games begin. 

Bailey Zappe looks like a real class act after Patriots drafted two quarterbacks in 2024 NFL Draft

He’s always willing to help.