Josh Dobbs said his exit from the New England Patriots was handled in a way that made for a "very frustrating" offseason before he eventually joined the Detroit Lions.
The 31-year-old quarterback said Tuesday that the timing of New England's release created a strange situation for him. Dobbs noted that it was the first time in his NFL career he did not have OTAs, and he said that happened because of the way things played out with New England after the start of free agency.
According to Dobbs, the Patriots wanted to explore a trade before moving on from him. New England released him two weeks after free agency began, leaving him without a team during organized activities. For a veteran quarterback, that kind of delay can matter because it takes away a normal offseason runway and forces a player to catch up later.
Why the timing mattered
Dobbs has bounced around the league enough to understand roster uncertainty, but this situation still stood out to him. He has spent time with the Pittsburgh Steelers, Jacksonville Jaguars, Cleveland Browns, Tennessee Titans, Arizona Cardinals, Minnesota Vikings, San Francisco 49ers, Atlanta Falcons and now the Detroit Lions, so he is used to movement. Even so, missing OTAs because of a delayed release is a different kind of frustration.
Dobbs also has recent experience with how quickly a quarterback situation can change. In 2023, the Vikings acquired him from Arizona after Kirk Cousins suffered a season-ending Achilles injury. Only days after arriving, Dobbs helped Minnesota beat the Atlanta Falcons, which showed how quickly he can step into a new setting and contribute.
That background helps explain why the Patriots situation stood out. Dobbs was not only changing teams, but doing so after free agency had already moved on and the offseason program was underway. For a veteran trying to settle in with a new team, that is not the ideal setup.
Now with the Detroit Lions, Dobbs moves forward after a delay that he clearly believed was avoidable. His comments Tuesday were less about reliving the past and more about explaining why the process left him behind during an important part of the offseason.
