The New England Patriots had an incredible season in 2025, winning 14 games and being the AFC representative in the Super Bowl. Everyone was happy, right? Wrong.
Aside from obviously not being content with losing on the biggest stage, now a former Patriots player is speaking out against the way his contract was handled by the front office.
New Detroit Lions QB Josh Dobbs Rips New England Patriots
Detroit Lions quarterback Josh Dobbs (6) walks on to the field for practice during training camp at Meijer Performance Center in
Detroit Lions quarterback Josh Dobbs (6) walks on to the field for practice during training camp at Meijer Performance Center in Allen Park on Monday, August 10, 2026. Credit: USA Today
One player who was around the Patriots for their successful season last year was Josh Dobbs, who ended up seeing action in four regular season games, where he completed 7-of-10 passes for 65 yards. Dobbs signed a two-year, $8 million contract with the Patriots last season, with the understanding that he’d be backing up Drake Maye.
Yet, the Patriots decided not to keep Dobbs around for the second season of his contract and released him on March 23. Yet, he feels they did him dirty, because NFL free agency kicked off on March 11, so many teams had already made other backup QB plans by the time Dobbs finally hit the market.
Now, he’s speaking up about it in his first media session since joining a new team.
Dobbs recently joined the Detroit Lions after Teddy Bridgewater‘s retirement in training camp. Now, rather than back up Maye, he’ll serve as the primary backup to Jared Goff. The only other quarterback on Detroit’s roster, aside from Goff, is undrafted rookie Luke Altmyer, so Dobbs faces pretty strong odds of sticking around with his new team. Still, that doesn’t mean Dobbs is thrilled with how his last team treated him.