"He's taking away reps from Drake Maye, Joe Milton": Patriots legend Rob Gronkowski issues free Bailey Zappe message 

It's the dawn of a new era for the New England Patriots. With a rookie head coach and a rookie quarterback to develop, the Patriots are not expected to contend for the Super Bowl anytime soon. But that doesn't mean they're taking it slow.

That much was evident when the Patriots welcomed the Carolina Panthers to Gillette Stadium on Thursday, August 8. The Panthers were a little banged up with nearly 30 first-teamers left out of action but the Patriots took the opportunity with both hands in a 17-3 beatdown. Despite the win, several fans and analysts were surprised by Bailey Zappe getting the majority of reps.

Rob Gronkowski pointed out as much during an appearance on First Things First on Friday, August 9. Gronk said:

"My hot take is that Bailey Zappe needs to be freed. They gotta either let him go or trade him. He’s taking away reps from Drake Maye and Joe Milton. Bailey Zappe is not going to be on that team by the end of training camp. He needs to be freed so he can go to another team and show what he has.”

---

Rob Gronkowski hesitant to judge Drake Maye off 6 plays

One theory could be that head coach Jerod Mayo didn't want Drake Maye to suit up with an offensive line that's essentially a second unit. In any case, Gronkowski found it a little 'weird' that Maye barely got any game time.

“I think Drake Maye did a job well done on the six plays he played. But you can’t evaluate him off those six plays. He threw two or three passes, he didn’t get the opportunity to show what he has," Gronk said.

"It was a little weird to me that he only played six plays. He’s the third overall pick, you gotta see what he has, you gotta be able to show his goods so he’s ready to go when his time’s called in the season."

The Patriots' next preseason game is against the Philadelphia Eagles at Gillette Stadium next week on Thursday, August 15. While Joe Milton impressed Patriots fans against the Panthers, it's likely that Mayo will hand Maye a few more than six snaps against Philly.