NFL Rumors: Carson Wentz, Nick Foles Haven't Interested Patriots in FA amid QB Cuts

The New England Patriots are in need of a backup quarterback for Mac Jones, but it appears two free agent veterans can be scratched off the list of potential candidates.

New England has not shown interest in either Carson Wentz or Nick Foles as a backup to Jones, according to MassLive's Mark Daniels.

The Patriots released Bailey Zappe and Malik Cunningham on Tuesday in what was a surprise move for the organization. They also released Trace McSorley on Monday.

New England selected Zappe in the fourth round of the 2022 draft out of Western Kentucky and he won the hearts of Patriots fans while filling in for an injured Jones last season.

"Zappe Fever" emerged in Foxborough after the 24-year-old led the Patriots to wins over the Detroit Lions and Cleveland Browns in back-to-back starts while completing 74.5 percent of his passes for 497 yards and three touchdowns against one interception.

In four games total, he completed 70.7 percent of his passes for 781 yards and five touchdowns against three interceptions.

However, "Zappe Fever" cooled off this summer as the second-year signal-caller struggled to get comfortable in Bill O'Brien's offense, and the last straw was likely his disappointing performance in a 23-7 preseason loss to the Tennessee Titans on Friday in which he went 8-for-15 for 57 yards, in addition to being sacked four times and fumbling three times.

Cunningham, meanwhile, was signed as an undrafted free agent out of Louisville this summer and the Patriots were using him in a variety of roles during the preseason, including quarterback and wide receiver.

Given his flexibility and Bill Belichick's admiration for do-it-all players, it was something of a surprise that Cunningham was cut.

With Jones now the only quarterback on the roster, the Patriots are exploring their options at backup.

Wentz is available after a disappointing 2022 campaign with the Washington Commanders in which he completed 62.3 percent of his passes for 1,755 yards and 11 touchdowns against nine interceptions in eight games (seven starts).

With Wentz under center, the Commanders went 2-5. Washington eventually benched the 2016 second overall pick in favor of 2022 fifth-round pick Sam Howell, who will be the franchise's starting quarterback in 2023.

Wentz began his career with the Philadelphia Eagles in 2016 and even finished third in MVP voting during the 2017 season. However, he tore his ACL late during the 2017 campaign and has never been able to return to form.

Foles, meanwhile, has spent much of his 11-year career as a reliable backup, though he did lead the Eagles to a victory over the Patriots in Super Bowl LII during the 2017 campaign after Wentz was ruled out for the postseason with his ACL injury.

Foles spent the 2022 campaign with the Indianapolis Colts, primarily as a backup to Matt Ryan before he was released.

While Wentz and Foles reportedly are not candidates for the New England backup job, some other signal-callers available include Colt McCoy, Trevor Siemian, Will Grier, John Wolford, Jake Fromm and Ben DiNucci.