Josh Dobbs did not hold back this week when describing how the New England Patriots handled his release, calling the experience "very frustrating" just days after signing on as the backup quarterback for the Detroit Lions.
Speaking to reporters in Detroit on Tuesday, Dobbs explained that the timing of his departure from New England left him without a team through the entire offseason program, a first in his career. "It was a weird offseason because it was my first time not having OTAs and everything, and that was just by the nature of my situation in New England, with the timing. That was very frustrating, the way they handled that," Dobbs said, according to NBC Sports.
The root of Dobbs' frustration was not that the Patriots moved on from him, but when they did it. According to Bleacher Report, New England waited roughly two weeks after the start of free agency before cutting Dobbs, reportedly hoping to work out a trade rather than release him outright. When no deal materialized, the team let him go, but by then several teams that might have wanted a veteran backup quarterback had already filled those spots, according to NBC Sports and NESN.
A Business Decision With Personal Fallout
NESN reported that New England's decision to move on from Dobbs was not surprising in itself. The Patriots have Drake Maye established as their franchise quarterback, and Dobbs was never expected to be part of the team's long-term plans. Instead of releasing him early in the offseason when he could have explored other opportunities immediately, the team held onto him as it weighed a possible trade, ultimately choosing rookie seventh-round pick Behren Morton and Tommy DeVito as its backup options for 2026, per Bleacher Report.
Dobbs appeared in only four games for New England last season in mop-up duty, completing 7 of 10 passes for 65 yards with no touchdowns or interceptions, according to Bleacher Report. He also served as Maye's backup during the Patriots' 29-13 loss to the Seattle Seahawks in Super Bowl LX.
Both NBC Sports and NESN noted that Dobbs is no stranger to the business realities of the NFL. He acknowledged that teams release players and make roster decisions based on their own interests. His issue, as NESN put it, was with the process rather than the outcome. For a quarterback specifically, missing organized team activities carries real consequences, since joining a new offense requires learning terminology, building timing with receivers and establishing trust with coaches, none of which can be fully replicated through solo training.
Dobbs told reporters he continued working out on his own throughout the delay so he would be ready whenever the right opportunity came along, according to NESN.
A Well-Traveled Career Finds Another Stop
Few players in the league have bounced between rosters as often as Dobbs. NBC Sports detailed his path from the Pittsburgh Steelers, who drafted him in the fourth round in 2017, to the Jacksonville Jaguars, back to the Steelers, then to the Cleveland Browns, the Lions, the Tennessee Titans, the Browns again, the Arizona Cardinals, the Minnesota Vikings, the San Francisco 49ers and finally the Patriots. His return to Detroit now marks yet another chapter in that itinerant career.
Dobbs' most memorable NFL stretch came in 2023, when the Vikings acquired him from Arizona after starter Kirk Cousins suffered a season-ending Achilles injury, according to NESN. Dobbs helped Minnesota beat the Atlanta Falcons just days after arriving, a feat that earned him the nickname "Passtronaut," a nod to his background in aerospace engineering. That season remains his most extensive NFL playing time: across stops with Arizona and Minnesota, he went 3-9 as a starter while throwing for 2,464 yards, 13 touchdowns and 10 interceptions.
Overall, Dobbs has appeared in 27 games across six seasons, starting 15 of them. He owns a 3-12 career record as a starter but has completed 62.8 percent of his passes for 3,346 yards, 17 touchdowns and 15 interceptions, while adding 515 rushing yards and eight rushing touchdowns, according to Bleacher Report's career figures.
How Detroit Became the Landing Spot
The delay in his release meant Dobbs missed the earliest wave of free-agent movement, when most teams sort out their backup quarterback situations. Bleacher Report noted that had he been available at the outset of free agency, Dobbs likely would have drawn stronger interest given his experience and track record as a reliable stopgap starter.
Instead, his opportunity arrived only after Detroit's backup job behind Jared Goff opened up when Teddy Bridgewater announced his retirement. The Lions moved quickly, signing Dobbs to a one-year contract worth $1.425 million, according to Spotrac figures cited by Bleacher Report. His only competition for the role is undrafted rookie Luke Altmyer.
Goff has not missed a game since the 2021 season, giving Lions head coach Dan Campbell little reason to expect Dobbs will see significant action. Still, the 31-year-old's experience across six franchises and his history of stepping into new systems on short notice make him a steady insurance option behind Detroit's starter.
For Dobbs, the frustration over how his Patriots tenure ended has not overshadowed his focus on the present. As NESN observed, he has simply moved forward, even if he has not forgotten how it happened.
