Patriots releasing veteran QB ahead of roster cutdown deadline

The New England Patriots are currently in the process of trimming their roster down from 90 players to 53 before the league's mandated 4:00 p.m. ET deadline on Tuesday.

While most of the moves that they've made so far have been expected, the biggest, to this point, has been the release of quarterback Bailey Zappe, according to NFL Network's Tom Pelissero.

New England drafted Zappe in the fourth round of the 2022 NFL draft out of Western Kentucky. He's appeared in 14 games for the team over his first two seasons, leading them to a 4-4 record in his starts and completing 63.2% of his passes for 2,053 yards, 11 interceptions and 12 touchdowns.

This offseason, the Patriots overhauled their quarterback room, trading Mac Jones to the Jacksonville Jaguars, signing Jacoby Brissett and drafting Drake Maye in the first round and Joe Milton III in the sixth.

With New England likely to keep only three quarterbacks on the 53-man roster, it was always going to be a battle between Zappe and Milton for the final spot.

Now, Zappe will hit waivers again, where teams will have a chance to claim him on his current contract. If no team does, he'll be free to sign with any team, and even back with the Patriots on their practice squad.

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