It Was a Bad Monday for Joshua Dobbs
The NFL’s quarterback free-agent pool received an injection on Monday after the New England Patriots cut ties with former Minnesota Vikings quarterback Joshua Dobbs. The 31-year-old will now scour the league’s lay of the land for his 10th employer.
New England moved on, and Dobbs is back on the market again.
The Patriots will also need a QB3 for the 2026 campaign, or at least for the summer, so the Dobbs release is a bit strange.
NE Moves on from the Former Vikings QB
The Patriots have passed on the Passtronaut for 2026.
Dobbs Dropped by NE
Dobbs lasted a year in Foxborough. ESPN’s Mike Reiss wrote Monday, “The New England Patriots released quarterback Joshua Dobbs on Monday. Dobbs, 31, served as the No. 2 quarterback behind Drake Maye in the 2025 season. He was scheduled to earn a base salary of $3.2 million in 2026 and carried a $4.75 million salary cap charge. The deal included per-game roster bonuses of $25,000 (up to $425,000) and a $75,000 workout bonus.”
“Dobbs’ signature game with the Patriots came in a 31-13 win over the Tennessee Titans on Oct. 19 when Maye left early in the third quarter to be evaluated for a concussion. Dobbs entered and on third-and-5 completed a 12-yard pass to receiver DeMario Douglas before Maye returned on a drive that ended with a touchdown. That put the Patriots ahead 24-13, and they cruised from there.”
For what it’s worth, Dobbs should have no problem finding work as a QB2 or QB3 as early as now.
Tommy DeVito Wins for Now
The Patriots recently added DeVito, formerly of New Giants mini-fame, and that was apparently the catalyst for Dobbs’s release.
Reiss noted on DeVito, “The Patriots’ decision comes after the club signed No. 3 quarterback Tommy DeVito to a two-year deal with a base value of $4.4 million after not tendering him as a restricted free agent. DeVito’s deal includes incentives that could increase its value to $7.4 million.”
“The team now projects to bump DeVito, on a cheaper contract, to the No. 2 role. A No. 3 quarterback is expected to be added later in the offseason.”
DeVito turned heads as a rookie in 2023 when the Giants went 3-3 on his watch, while the youngster delivered an 8-touchdown to 3-interception split. Oozing machismo, some bought into DeVito as the next big thing, but his undrafted Cinderella streak eventually ran out.
New England must believe it can resurrect DeVito in a QB2 capacity.
Dobbs’ Career
For starters, here’s Dobbs enormous resume so far in his career:
- Pittsburgh Steelers (2017–2019)
- Jacksonville Jaguars (2019)
- Pittsburgh Steelers (2020–2021)
- Cleveland Browns (2022)
- Detroit Lions (2022)
- Tennessee Titans (2022)
- Cleveland Browns (2023)
- Arizona Cardinals (2023)
- Minnesota Vikings (2023)
- San Francisco 49ers (2024)
- New England Patriots (2025)
In a remarkable three-week stretch in 2023, Dobbs led the Vikings to unexpected victories against Atlanta and New Orleans. These wins kept Minnesota’s playoff hopes alive, increasing their chances of making the postseason to over 80%.
It all unfolded rapidly. After Kirk Cousins suffered a season-ending Achilles injury in late October 2023, and with Nick Mullens also unavailable, general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah quietly traded with Arizona, acquiring Dobbs for a 6th-Round pick and a conditional 7th. The condition for the 7th-Round pick was never met because Dobbs didn’t play enough for Arizona to trigger it, making the trade a minimal investment for Minnesota.
Dobbs’s debut was unforgettable. Jaren Hall started against Atlanta that day but suffered a concussion, forcing Dobbs into action with limited knowledge of the playbook. His performance ignited “DobbsMania” in Minnesota. The following week, he replicated that success, leading the Vikings to a win against New Orleans.
However, the magic soon faded. The passing game struggled. Dobbs and Jordan Addison couldn’t establish a consistent connection, his accuracy faltered, and a critical miscommunication with Justin Jefferson in Denver proved costly. The following week in Las Vegas, head coach Kevin O’Connell replaced Dobbs with Mullens mid-game. The Vikings won, marking the abrupt end of Dobbs’s brief but memorable tenure in Minnesota.
He spent a season in San Francisco in 2024 and on to New England, where he lasted as another one-hit wonder.
The Patriots’ FA Moves in March
In addition to the Dobbs release, the Patriots did not re-sign these players:
- Alex Austin (CB) NE → MIA
- K’Lavon Chaisson (ED) NE → WAS
- Jack Gibbens (LB) NE → ARI
- Jaylin Hawkins (S) NE → BAL
- Austin Hooper (TE) NE → ATL
- Vederian Lowe (LT) NE → SF
- Khyiris Tonga (DL) NE → KC
Former Vikings center Garrett Bradbury was traded to the Chicago Bears a couple of weeks ago, so in addition to Dobbs and Bradbury, New England is basically getting rid of all its former purple players, including OT Vederian Lowe, DT Khyiris Tonga, and WR Stefon Diggs, who was also released.
In return, the Patriots added these newcomers via free agency and re-signed these men:
- Kevin Byard (S) CHI → NE
- Mike Brown (S) TEN → NE
- K.J. Britt (LB) TB → NE
- Romeo Doubs (WR) GB → NE
- Reggie Gilliam (FB) BUF → NE
- Julian Hill (TE) MIA → NE
- James Hudson (LT) NYG → NE
- Dre’Mont Jones (ED) BAL → NE
- Alijah Vera-Tucker (T/G) NYJ → NE
- Kindle Vildor (CB) DET → NE
Oddsmakers expect the Patriots to win nine or ten games next season.
You must be logged in to post a comment.