Malik Cunningham Signed By Baltimore Ravens; 'Disrespected' By Patriots Coach Bill Belichick?

Malik Cunningham Signed By Baltimore Ravens; New Lamar Jackson Backup QB 'Disrespected' By Patriots Coach Bill Belichick?

Malik Cunningham himself is saying all the right things about his escape from the New England Patriots practice squad as he jumps from that 3-10 non-contender to the active roster of the 10-3 Baltimore Ravens.

But some of his teammates are telling a different story.

The Ravens signed the rookie quarterback off the Patriots practice squad and onto their roster - "poaching'' him, in the vernacular, as the rookie, 25, was little-used as coach Bill Belichick played Musical Chairs at QB and tried him as a wide receiver.

At one point, oddly, the Patriots signed him to a three-year contract in mid-October, but then waived him a few days later. ... a suggestion that Belichick and company badly botched this, one way or another.

Cunningham's thoughts? “I want to thank (team owner Robert) Kraft and coach Belichick for giving me opportunity to play with the Patriots ... one of the greatest of all time,'' he said. "I had great teammates in New England and built relationships that will last a lifetime. But I just feel like this is a good opportunity for me and I’m excited to be a Baltimore Raven.”

And about those relationships ...

Wrote Patriots offensive tackle Trent Brown on Instagram: "Go flourish where your talent is respected, little bradda.”

Lot of love for Malik Cunningham from his now-former Patriots teammates. pic.twitter.com/VL2hJ5l8YP

— Zack Cox (@zm_cox) December 12, 2023

Oh.

BREAKING: Ravens Sign Ex-Patriots QB Cunningham

Cunningham will be way down on depth chart here. But he will now be reunited with Ravens star Lamar Jackson, as the two were teammates at Louisville in 2017.

Meanwhile, Belichick is probably not long for New England, and the Patriots’ quarterback situation is dismal, as Mac Jones has been benched multiple times, with Bailey Zappe now taking a turn.