Why Bailey Zappe Hugged Bill Belichick After Dramatic Patriots Win

Victory No. 1 earned Bailey Zappe a firm handshake from Patriots head coach Bill Belichick.

No. 2? That got him a hug.

A team-released locker room video showed Zappe hugging a smiling Belichick after New England’s thrilling 26-23 win over the Denver Broncos on Sunday night.

The second-year quarterback explained the embrace Tuesday during an appearance on WEEI’s “Jones & Mego.”

“The handshake thing, I told him when I walked in after the Broncos game, he reached out for the handshake, and I was like, ‘Coach, no more handshakes. Let’s go for a hug,’ ” Zappe said. “So that’s kind of how that all happened.”

Sunday’s game was the best of the season for Zappe, who is 2-2 since taking over for Mac Jones in Week 13. The 24-year-old completed 75.8% of his passes, threw two touchdowns with no interceptions and set up Chad Ryland’s game-winning 56-yard field goal with a deep third-down completion to DeVante Parker.

Zappe said he’s “always had a great relationship” with Belichick despite his inauspicious start to the season, which included a surprise release at the end of training camp.

“I’ve always been able to walk into his office, ask him questions, and he’s always been very open to answering anything that I had questions about,” Zappe said on WEEI. “… I come into the building every day happy to be able to learn from him and kind of just be a sponge and listen to everything he has to say about the entirety of the game of football.”

The futures of Zappe, Jones and Belichick all are uncertain with two games remaining (at Buffalo this Sunday, home against the New York Jets in Week 18). A coaching change is a real possibility for the 4-11 Patriots, and it’s unclear whether either QB will have an opportunity to compete for the starting job in 2024.

Zappe wouldn’t bite when asked whether he believes he’s earned the right to be New England’s starter next season.

“Right now, I’m just trying to be where my feet are and focus on the Bills,” he said. “I’m sure those conversations and things like that will happen in the offseason or after the Jets game, and I’ll talk about that then. But right now, I’m really focused on the Bills and just trying to get these guys down, because they’re a heck of a team. They’ve been rolling, so it’s going to be a challenge for us offensively to play against these guys.

“I’ll talk about all that stuff and answer all that stuff, and I’m sure those conversations will come up once the Jets game ends and into the offseason.”