During Monday’s free-agency spending spree, the New England Patriots spent a whopping $282 million and brought in seven free agents from outside the organization (five of whom were defensive players).
One of the team’s offensive signings was journeyman quarterback Joshua Dobbs, who played for the San Francisco 49ers last season following four years with different organizations. During his lone season in the Bay, Dobbs made one start, during the team’s Week 18 game against the Arizona Cardinals, where he threw for over 300 yards and had a pair of touchdowns.
With the veteran Dobbs signing a multi-year deal, the Patriots no longer needed Jacoby Brissett, who last offseason signed a one-year deal with the team to be a stop-gap quarterback and to mentor any potential quarterbacks the team might draft. Last season, Brissett started the Pats' first 5 games (with a record of 1-4) before the team pulled the plug and started first-round pick quarterback Drake Maye.
Now, on Tuesday, Brissett has found a new home for the 2025 season. According to Tom Pelissero, Brissett has agreed to terms with the Arizona Cardinals.
Drake Maye appears to be the Patriots' quarterback of the future. As a rookie, Maye threw for 15 touchdowns and over 2,000 yards in 13 games. These numbers were good enough to be named to the Pro Bowl. During last year’s draft, the Patriots also spent a sixth-round pick on former Tennessee quarterback, Joe Milton. Milton showed flashes of excellence in limited playing time this year, especially during the team’s Week-18 victory over the Buffalo Bills, in which he threw for 241 yards and a touchdown.
With new head coach Mike Vrabel and offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels on the sideline for the foreseeable future, it appears that the Patriots brass decided that they could use a different veteran other than Brissett to help mentor both of their young and promising quarterbacks. I expect Joshua Dobbs to continue to elevate Maye and Milton this season.