Detroit Lions head coach Dan Campbell announced on Sunday that veteran backup quarterback Teddy Bridgewater was stepping away from the team at age 33, with retirement likely.
This has now led the team to search for another QB to back up Jared Goff before the season, and just hours after the Bridgewater news, they officially landed on a player.
The #Lions are signing veteran Josh Dobbs to a one-year, $1.425 million deal with $475k fully guaranteed, sources tell me and @RapSheet.
It’s a significant commitment to Dobbs as the No. 2 quarterback after Teddy Bridgewater’s retirement. pic.twitter.com/UjQ8lUBXB4
— Mike Garafolo (@MikeGarafolo) August 9, 2026
Lions Sign Former 49ers QB
Detroit agreed to a one-year, $1.4 million deal with journeyman quarterback Joshua Dobbs, who spent the 2025 season with the New England Patriots and appeared in four games.
The year prior, however, Dobbs was on the San Francisco 49ers‘ roster, where he spent the entire 2024 season in a QB room with Brock Purdy and Brandon Allen.
During the 2024 season, he appeared in two games and made one start, completing 32 of 47 passes for 361 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions. He also rushed nine times for 24 yards and two touchdowns.
Dobbs’ NFL Career
Outside of his time with the Patriots and 49ers over the last two seasons, Dobbs has bounced around the league but has remained a productive backup option for several teams.
He was drafted by the Pittsburgh Steelers in 2018, where he spent two seasons before having brief stints with three separate teams in 2023. He started two games with the Tennessee Titans, eight games with the Arizona Cardinals and then ended up with the Minnesota Vikings at the end of the season, where he recorded four starts.
Across 27 game appearances, Dobbs has completed 62.8% of his passes for 3,346 yards and 17 touchdowns. In 15 starts, he holds a 3-12 record.
Former San Francisco 49ers Quarterback Signs Deal With Lions