The Kansas City Chiefs are signing quarterback Bailey Zappe to a one-year contract, per a report from NFL insider Tom Pelissero.

The #Chiefs are re-signing QB Bailey Zappe to a one-year deal, per source.

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

— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) March 14, 2025

Zappe spent time on the Chiefs’ practice squad last season, signing with Kansas City after the preseason. He would go on to sign with the Cleveland Browns in Week 8 following a season-ending Achilles injury to QB Deshaun Watson.

Zappe got the start in the Browns’ Week 18 season finale against the Baltimore Ravens, completing 16-31 passes for 170 yards with one touchdown and two interceptions in a 35-10 loss. He now rejoins the Chiefs, and will back up Patrick Mahomes along with Gardner Minshew, who K.C. just signed on Thursday, and Chris Oladokun.

A fourth-round pick by New England in the 2022 NFL Draft, Zappe made the Patriots’ roster as their third-string QB. He wound up started two games during his rookie year and played very well, completing 70 percent of his passes for 781 yards and five TDs with a 2-0 record.

In 2023 Zappe started six games for New England, going 2-4 while throwing for 1,272 yards, six TDs, and nine INTs. He didn’t make the Patriots’ roster in 2024, which led him to K.C. Clearly the Chiefs saw something they liked in Zappe during his roughly two month stint with the team.

Zappe is more similar to Minshew than he is to Mahomes. Zappe and Minshew are a bit on the smaller side and have limited arm strength. However, they are both fairly mobile and accurate. Coach Andy Reid could utilize them like he did former QB Alex Smith more so than how he uses Mahomes. The Chiefs typically only carry two QBs on their 53-man roster and one on the practice squad.