The Real Story: Patriots’ Bailey Zappe On Taylor Swift And Love Of Country Music

New England's current quarterback Bailey Zappe wants to clear the air about comments he previously made. Sure, he's likely back peddling a bit. But you'll get the real story here on the Patriots' Bailey Zappe on Taylor Swift and his love of country music.

As reported in Sports Illustrated, New England's #4 took the podium yesterday, ahead of the Pats/Chiefs matchup at Gillette on Sunday. At the press conference Zappe wanted to clarify comments he had earlier made regarding Chiefs' Travis Kelce's girlfriend. Bailey had mentioned he wasn't a fan of Taylor Swift. There he was, in the pocket, ready to toss and was sacked by comments from Swifties.

Yesterday, the QB had a chance to make things right. According to the article, Zappe told reporters he IS a fan of “country” Taylor. His exact words: “I’m a country guy. I listen to country music,” She used to be country, so there were times where if Taylor Swift’s country song came on, I’d listen to it. Now she’s moved over to pop. I’m not a pop guy, so … I’m a fan, I just don’t listen to that type of music.” Disaster adverted? Will Kelce be "Fearless on the field, to protect the honor of his gf. or will he simply "Shake It Off?

All is fair in love, but not football. This love story will hopefully bring the country icon and pop princes back to the first stadium she ever played. I guess we will find out on Sunday is Zappe is deemed there will be "Bad Blood," or everyone will calm down and "Karma" will win in the end. We all know Taylor is a class act, and likely won't even address it. But, if she does, it will be a thoughtful, perhaps even playful, response.

The lesson here for Bailey is, it's best to "Speak Now" before Kansas City comes to town. He did his best to make everyone Zappe, I mean, happy.  Meanwhile, here's a fun fact to leave you with. Mac Jones, who will be on the bench this Sunday, was in attendance at Swift's Eras Tour this past summer at Gillette Stadium.

We remember the chants, but what do we really know about New England Patriots backup quarterback Bailey Zappe?  Last year was his rookie season, we know that. He stepped in when Mac Jones was out and earned fans from just a few outings.

Let's find out a little more about the young man who impressed not only New England fans, but also his teammates.. Bailey Zappe was calm, confident and capable on the field in Foxboro, that much we could all see. But what lead him to this point, and where did he come from? Let's dive in! Here are 5 fun facts about the new Foxboro favorite.

From NBC Sports, here are the bio basics:

https://twitter.com/BostonGlobe/status/1578569971768115200?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1578569971768115200%7Ctwgr%5Eba69f9a3b08eadf6cbd3aa6c0c65c4b874df2eb9%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fcountry1025.com%2Fwp-admin%2Fpost.php%3Fpost%3D1052065action%3Dedit

As Wikipedia reports, Zappe played QB at Victoria East High School. By his senior year, Bailey had passed for 3,700 yards, and 37 touchdowns. He scored 15 of those TDs and rushed for 633 yards. Despite his impressive numbers, he was not highly sought after by recruiters. In fact, his only scholarship offer was to play football at Houston Babtist University.

In 2020, Zappe transferred to Western Kentucky University. Going into the 2021 season, he was named the Hilltoppers' starting quarterback. And according to NBC Sports,  the QB " led the FBS with 5,545 passing yards and 56 touchdowns, then added 422 more passing yards and five TDs in the 2021 Boca Raton Bowl vs. Appalachian State. He holds NCAA records for single-season passing yards (5,967) and TDs (62)."

In the 2022 NFL Draft, the Pats selected Zappe in the 4th round, with the 137th overall pick. He was named the third string quarterback for this season, behind Mac Jones and 2nd stringer, Brain Hoyer. For those who didn't watch last week, Zappe was called to action after Mac Jones ankle injury forced the team to use Hoyer in Green Bay vs. the Packers. Hoyer was hurt in the first quarter, with a head injury. All this lead to Bailey throwing on a jersey, and onto the field at Lambeau for his NFL debut. He kept the team in the game and onto overtime. Eventually the Pats's lost to Aaron Rogers and Green Bay, but Zappe proved to be poised and proficient. 

FOXBOROUGH, MASSACHUSETTS - OCTOBER 09: Bailey Zappe #4 of the New England Patriots calls a play during the second quarter against the Detroit Lions at Gillette Stadium on October 09, 2022 in Foxborough, Massachusetts. (Photo by Maddie Malhotra/Getty Images)

Yes, he does. Bailey has been dating Hannah Lewis for 5 years, and they were recently engaged.

See their 5 year celebration post here. 

Bailey's "rock," since they were high school sweethearts, was there for his first NFL start.

Zappe's contract with the New England Patriots is pretty standard, according to NBC Sports. He signed a "four-year rookie contract worth up to $4.3 million with a $647,070 signing bonus. He carries a $866,768 cap hit in 2022."