The New England Patriots are suddenly in the market for a quarterback after releasing veteran backup Josh Dobbs last week.
While the move came with some modest salary cap savings, it’s definitely a curious one in nature. Dobbs was scheduled to earn less than $4 million in real cash in 2026, with a base salary of $3.2 million. That’s well below the NFL mean for a No. 2 quarterback, and Dobbs did his job when called upon during the 2025 season.
The Patriots’ decision feels more like a promotion than an indictment on Dobbs’ play. They not only claimed quarterback Tommy DeVito off waivers last summer, but they signed him to a two-year extension earlier this month. As Mike Reiss wrote for ESPN, the team appears to prefer DeVito’s upside as the top backup to Drake Maye, with the added bonus of an even cheaper salary and cap number.
“The team now projects to bump DeVito, on a cheaper contract, to the No. 2 role,” Reiss wrote. “A No. 3 quarterback is expected to be added later in the offseason.”
If DeVito is indeed the top guy behind Maye going forward, that would rule out the most obvious free agent fit who’s still waiting to sign. Jimmy Garoppolo isn’t only a former Patriots draft pick, but he joined Josh McDaniels with the Las Vegas Raiders on a three-year, $72.75 million deal in 2023 before things quickly crashed and burned, in typical Raiders fashion.
Garoppolo has since signed a pair of team-friendly deals with the Los Angeles Rams, in the neighborhood of $3 million fully guaranteed each. That type of contract wouldn’t make a ton of sense for the Patriots based on their recent moves. Adding Garoppolo would capsize most of the savings from releasing Dobbs, while also blocking DeVito’s pending promotion.
New England is much more likely to browse the bargain bin for their No. 3 quarterback behind DeVito, while looking to leverage one of the cheapest QB rooms in all of football. Maye’s set to earn just $4.1 million in real cash this year on his rookie-scale contract, the team can’t extend him until 2027, and he’s coming off an All-Pro season. That, coupled with the team’s $35 million in current cap space, per OTC’s projections, puts the Patriots in a prime position to make an A.J. Brown-sized move later this summer.
For now, there’s no denying the other familiar face who makes the most sense for New England’s QB3 role.
The missing piece that could complete the Patriots’ 2026 QB plan
The pickings are slim on the quarterback market following the first phase of free agency. The top names are mostly aging veterans who are either earmarked for other teams (Aaron Rodgers) or wouldn’t fit the Patriots’ salary goals (Kirk Cousins, Russell Wilson).
Journeyman veteran Will Grier definitely wouldn’t be a flashy addition, but he would check every box for New England's 2026 roster. He was signed off the Bengals practice squad by Bill Belichick back in 2023, and after the team’s 2-8 start, there was some buzz he could actually start a game given the struggles of both Mac Jones and Bailey Zappe.
The 30-year-old hasn’t played much real NFL football, but did put one strong preseason start on film during the 2023 preseason with the Dallas Cowboys. He completed 29 of his 35 passes for 305 yards, two touchdowns, no interceptions, and a 122 QB rating in that game, likely prompting the Patriots’ interest as a depth option later that year.
Bringing Grier back would make sense, as the bulk of his pro experience has been on practice squads, filling scout-team, emergency-QB type of roles. He’s got at least some familiarity with guys like Hunter Henry, Rhamondre Stevenson, Demario Douglas, Kayshon Boutte, and other holdovers from that 2023 Patriots team, and his near vet-minimum salary would help keep the books primed for the team to make a major move after the draft.
Garoppolo would obviously be the sexier signing, but Patriots fans should be preparing for a Maye-DeVito-Grier type of QB room in 2026. While a bit risky, given DeVito’s lack of experience as a former undrafted free agent of the New York Giants, it represents a clear strategy to maximize a financial window that will close gradually following Maye’s expected mega extension in 2027.