Bailey Zappe

Career StatsD-

Year	Team	GP	Yards	TD	INT	RTG
Career		15	2,223	12	14	76.0
2025		2	95	0	2	26.5
2024		1	170	1	2	51.8

Current Contract

Contract Value Index (CVI)

The C Contract Value Index on Bailey Zappe's deal stems from how the cap hit lines up against on-field output. At $1.215M AAV on a rookie scale contract, Zappe is functionally free — he carries almost no cap burden and represents the kind of depth-chart probe teams deploy when rebuilding a quarterback room from ground level. His 2025 season production — 2 games of action — combined with a D- performance grade underscores that he's a fringe depth piece, not a solution, and the Contract Value Index reflects that reality: you're paying nothing for a player the market has already priced as a perpetual backup. At 27 years old and in his fourth year in the league, Zappe lacks the age-trajectory upside that might justify investment; this is a veteran journeyman signing, not a developmental bet. The Jets' recent transaction pattern — releasing kickers, cutting centers, signing defensive depth, and acquiring receivers — paints a picture of wholesale organizational reconstruction, and Zappe fits that frame perfectly: the media framing nails it as a "low-risk futures deal" and a placeholder move while the organization hunts for its actual franchise quarterback this offseason. The CVI grade of C reflects the reality that there's no mismatch between what the Jets are paying and what Zappe can contribute at this stage of his career — it's a neutral, risk-free depth acquisition in a team clearly operating in reset mode, and the market verdict on that positioning is fair.

Contracts in the Same Value Band

Other same-position deals the Contract Value Index also places in the C band — a quick read on where Bailey's contract sits relative to comparable money.

Performance Analysis

Production at quarterback earns Bailey Zappe a D- performance grade in the current sample. With just two games of action in the 2025 season, Zappe's profile reads as below-average for the position — the kind of developmental depth piece who hasn't yet translated his NFL experience into consistent, reliable performance when given opportunities. The Jets' preseason offensive infrastructure and scheme demands have clearly exposed significant gaps in his decision-making and execution, leaving the organization with minimal tape to build a future role around. At 27 years old and in his fourth season, Zappe sits squarely in the replacement-level tier: a low-risk futures contract designed to compete for a backup roster spot during training camp, but with almost no realistic path to meaningful snaps once the regular season begins. His New England pedigree provides marginal credibility over a typical undrafted camp body, but that organizational familiarity hasn't translated into on-field results that would warrant confidence in a genuine depth role. The Jets' broader quarterback room reset — signaled by this futures deal and reinforced by recent roster churn — makes clear that Zappe is organizational housekeeping, not a building block. Expect him to cycle out of the depth chart before Week 1, replaced by whatever legitimate franchise quarterback option the Jets actually target in this offseason window.

How Bailey Compares at the Position

Bailey Zappe ranks 95th of 106 graded quarterbacks by performance. That slots Bailey between Aidan O'connell (D-) just ahead and Kyle Mccord (F) just behind.

Fan Sentiment

Bailey Zappe's arrival in New York registers as a C-grade sentiment story — acknowledged by the media, ignored by fans with any real optimism. Five separate headlines framed this futures contract signing as the opening move in a full quarterback room reset for a Jets organization currently sitting at 3-14, and that framing tells you everything about how the football-watching public is receiving it: this is organizational housekeeping, not a signal of genuine intent. The on-field backdrop doesn't help Zappe's narrative either, as his D-grade performance standing — built on just two games of action in the 2025 season — gives the Jets fanbase almost nothing to project onto him beyond a familiar NFL name with a New England pedigree. That New England experience earns him a marginal edge over a generic camp body, but public perception has already penciled him in as a training camp competitor who clears out before Week 1, replaced by whoever the Jets actually target at quarterback this offseason. Surrounding roster activity — signings of Kene Nwangwu, Chukwuma Okorafor, Jowon Briggs, and Marcelino McCrary-Ball — paints a picture of broad roster reconstruction, which only reinforces the read that Zappe is a placeholder in a depth room being rebuilt from scratch. Sentiment has been trending upward at the team level over the last 30 days, but none of that warmth extends to Zappe specifically — he's a footnote in a larger organizational story, not a name that's moving the needle on fan confidence. The bottom line: this is a low-drama, low-expectation transaction that the media covered accurately and fans received with a collective shrug.