Patriots reportedly went back on their word to former QB

But according to Andrew Callahan and Doug Kyed of the Boston Herald, the Patriots went back on their word to the fifth-year QB regarding the role they wanted him to play.

“Newly signed backup Will Grier was never a serious consideration, per sources, despite being told he could compete for playing time,” Callahan and Kyed wrote. “That left Jones all alone in a quarterbacks room that sources familiar with the room paint as quiet and uncomfortable.”

Grier stuck with the Patriots as their No. 3 option until Dec. 18 when he signed with the Los Angeles Chargers to back up Easton Stick following Justin Herbert’s season-ending injury.

But Grier’s situation wasn’t the only one New England botched. Rookie QB Malik Cunningham impressed many in the organization with his performance during the preseason, and the Patriots kept him on their practice squad to start the year.

Cunningham was promoted to the active roster on Oct. 14 and given a nice new three-year, $2.75 million contract to boot. But he played just six offensive snaps in a 21-17 loss to the Las Vegas Raiders in Week 6 and was subsequently cut 10 days later and put back on New England’s practice squad.

Presumably fed up with the organization’s lack of direction, Cunningham signed with the Baltimore Ravens on Dec. 12 — a decision that was reportedly applauded by some inside the Patriots building.

Added Callahan and Kyed: “According to sources, some organization members told Cunningham he had made the right decision to leave New England. ‘They just had no plan for Malik,’ one source said.’”

Now, the Patriots are riding out the season with Zappe as their starter, Jones as his backup and 25-year-old former Canadian Football League standout Nathan Rourke as the third-stringer.

New England is projected to have a top-five pick in the 2024 NFL Draft, and the team is expected to draft its new franchise QB, presumably one of USC’s Caleb Williams, North Carolina’s Drake Maye or LSU’s Jayden Daniels.