Josh Dobbs Talks 'Very Frustrating' Patriots Exit Prior to Lions Contract in NFL Free Agency

Detroit Lions backup quarterback Josh Dobbs made his feelings known this week regarding the end of his tenure with the New England Patriots earlier this offseason.

Speaking to reporters on Tuesday, Dobbs said, "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 took issue with the fact that the Pats waited until two weeks after free agency started before cutting him, which severely limited his options as a free agent.

Serving as Drake Maye's backup, Dobbs appeared in only four games last season in mop-up duty, going 7-of-10 for 65 yards with no touchdowns or interceptions.

He also backed up Maye during the Patriots' 29-13 loss to the Seattle Seahawks in Super Bowl LX.

New England decided to move forward with Tommy DeVito and rookie seventh-round pick Behren Morton as its backup options leading up to the 2026 campaign, but rather than releasing Dobbs early in the offseason, the team held onto him, seemingly in hopes of being able to trade him for an asset.

The 31-year-old Dobbs is a solid, experienced backup option, having been in the league since the Pittsburgh Steelers selected him in the fourth round of the 2017 NFL draft.

Dobbs has seen game action in six seasons, appearing in a total of 27 games and starting 15 of them. Although he is just 3-12 as a starter, Dobbs has completed 62.8 percent of his passing attempts for 3,346 yards, 17 touchdowns and 15 interceptions, while also rushing for 515 yards and eight scores.

His most extensive playing came in 2023 split between the Arizona Cardinals and Minnesota Vikings when he went 3-9 as a starter and threw for 2,464 yards, 13 touchdowns and 10 picks.

Dobbs may have been a hot commodity on the free-agent market as a backup had he been available when free agency started, but the timing of his release meant that most teams had already sorted out their quarterback situations.

Luckily for Dobbs, the Lions' backup job behind Jared Goff became available this past weekend, as Teddy Bridgewater announced his retirement.

Detroit pounced on Dobbs, signing him to a one-year, $1.425 million contract, per Spotrac.

Although it took much longer than he likely would have wanted, Dobbs ultimately fell into a favorable spot, as his only competition for the backup job is undrafted rookie Luke Altmyer.

Goff has not missed a game since the 2021 season, but in the event he does get injured, Lions head coach Dan Campbell now has a reliable backup he can turn to in a pinch.