The New York Jets are trimming the roster ahead of the final deadline.
ESPN’s Rich Cimini revealed on Saturday, August 29, that the team is parting ways with veteran quarterback Bailey Zappe.
This leaves the Jets with three quarterbacks on the main roster: Geno Smith, Cade Klubnik, and Brady Cook.
Cimini said Cook could be “a practice squad candidate.”
This is the first reported cut by the Jets ahead of the final roster deadline on Sunday, August 30.
Not Surprising News
Zappe getting handed his walking papers isn’t overly surprising.
Zappe, 27, joined the Jets back in January on a reserve/future contract. He has spent the last eight months with the team.
The former Houston Baptist and Western Kentucky product had some uneven performances for the Jets in the preseason. Across three preseason contests, Zappe was 16-of-23 for 135 passing yards, with zero passing touchdowns and two interceptions. He also contributed two carries for zero rushing yards.
The QB2 role behind Smith was wide open this offseason. Klubnik is a day-three rookie, Cook is a former undrafted free agent, and Zappe had the most experience of the group vying for that gig.
Across his four seasons in the NFL, Zappe has appeared in 15 games and made nine starts. With those opportunities, Zappe has completed 62.1% of his passes, for 2,223 passing yards, and has a 12 touchdown to 14 interception ratio. If he had performed better this offseason, Zappe could have easily been the primary backup QB for the Jets.
Instead, he will be seeking a new opportunity in free agency. Zappe is a vested veteran, so if the team wanted to bring him back on the practice squad, he wouldn’t be subject to waivers.
Now What Happens at Quarterback?
With all due respect, the easy part is over with Zappe exiting stage left, but now what?
Geno Smith and Cade Klubnik are both making the final 53-man roster, but will anyone else be joining them? Klubnik didn’t do enough to emphatically secure that QB2 role.
Head coach Aaron Glenn said he and general manager Darren Mougey will have an open conversation about what to do with the rest of the room.
The Jets should have ample opportunity through the waiver wire and on the trade market to potentially add an arm to the bullpen.
If they opt for the waiver wire route, the Jets have an advantage. The Jets hold the No. 2 overall waiver wire priority. That is thanks to their 3-14 record last season. Through the first month of the 2026 season, the waiver wire order is determined by the original 2026 NFL draft order.
So in other words, the pain from last year can help the Jets of today add some quality talent at positions of need. Several key positions to keep an eye on for the Jets on waivers: quarterback, running back, offensive line, off-ball linebacker, pass rusher, and placekicker.
Any player that the Jets claim on waivers, they must immediately create a spot for by cutting someone else.
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