The Kansas City Chiefs have seen a ton of shuffling along their roster. Once free agency and the legal tampering period opened up, multiple players decided to sign elsewhere, while KC made some additions as well.
While it's known that Patrick Mahomes is the star QB, KC needed to add a backup. They did exactly that on Thursday when they signed Gardner Minshew to a one-year deal.
He was assumed to be QB2, but there was a wrench thrown in those plans. According to NFL Network's Tom Pelissero, the Chiefs are re-signing QB Bailey Zappe. He will join Mahomes and Minshew in the quarterback room.
The #Chiefs are re-signing QB Bailey Zappe to a one-year deal, per source.
— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) March 14, 2025
So Kansas City’s QB room now includes Patrick Mahomes, Gardner Minshew and Zappe, the former #Patriots draft pick who finished last season in KC. pic.twitter.com/WIMcMcD0dz
Chiefs News: Bailey Zappe Re-Signs With KC
Zappe came into the league as a fourth-round pick by the New England Patriots in the 2022 NFL Draft. After starting eight games for New England (4-4), the Pats decided to release Zappe ahead of the 2024 season.
He quickly landed on the Chiefs' practice squad in August before getting claimed by the Cleveland Browns. Zappe ended up starting one game for the Browns, going 16-of-31 for 170 yards, one passing touchdown, and two interceptions.
Zappe hit free agency after the season and decided to head back to KC. He could potentially compete with Minshew for QB2, but this addition gives the Chiefs another capable backup in the room.
In 15 career games, Zappe has completed 62.1% of his passes for 2,223 yards, 12 passing touchdowns, and 14 interceptions.
Meanwhile, Minshew has been a more productive player in the NFL. In 59 career games (46 starts), he has gone 17-29. The 28-year-old is 1094-of-1729 (63.3%) for 11,950 passing yards, 68 passing scores, and 34 interceptions. He's clearly the second-best QB on this roster, but the coaching staff liked what they saw from Zappe a year ago.