The New York Jets’ quarterback room is in desperate need of help.

Could they get some in the form of a cast-off New England Patriots signal-caller?

According to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, the Patriots are planning to release backup quarterback Josh Dobbs after unsuccessfully seeking a trade.

For quite a few reasons, it would make sense for the Jets to explore adding Dobbs to their quarterback room.

Why the Jets should give Dobbs a call

Dobbs, 31, was a fourth-round pick of the Pittsburgh Steelers in the 2017 NFL draft. Across nine NFL seasons, Dobbs has played 11 separate stints for nine different teams.

Dobbs spent the entire 2025 season as the primary backup to MVP runner-up Drake Maye. However, Maye stayed healthy, and Dobbs only made four appearances with no starts, throwing 10 passes.

For New York, the most appealing aspect of Dobbs is his starting experience. He’s logged 15 career starts, more than the Jets’ current backups to Geno Smith, Bailey Zappe (9) and Brady Cook (4), combined.

Granted, those 15 starts were not very successful. Dobbs led his teams to a 3-12 record, completing 62.8% of his passes for 3,346 yards, 17 touchdowns, and 15 interceptions, while averaging 6.0 yards per pass attempt.

Still, Dobbs has been a better NFL quarterback than the Jets’ current backups. His career 78.3 passer rating beats out both Zappe (76.0) and Cook (55.3). On top of that, Dobbs at least has more touchdown passes than interceptions, something neither Zappe (12:14) nor Cook (2:7) can claim.

The advanced metrics paint the same picture. Since 2022, Dobbs ranks 62nd out of 84 qualified quarterbacks (min. 150 plays) in adjusted EPA per play (-0.048), whereas Zappe ranks 78th (-0.180) and Cook ranks last (-0.368).

Cook’s advantage in this debate is that he is only a second-year player, so he offers upside that Zappe (fifth year) and Dobbs (10th year) do not. That means the Jets can simply view Dobbs as a likely upgrade over Zappe in terms of short-term reliability.

Not to mention, his experience and intellect (the man majored in aerospace engineering) would be valuable in a young Jets locker room, especially as the team gears up to select a quarterback in the 2026 draft. Dobbs was part of a Super Bowl locker room this past season and can share that experience with a roster largely devoid of players who have gone deep in the playoffs.

It never hurts to snag a player from a division rival, either. With the Patriots returning the same coaching staff and starting quarterback, Dobbs’ first-hand knowledge of New England’s inner workings could prove useful. Bill Belichick loved sniping players from the Jets throughout his dominant tenure in the AFC East.

A player like Dobbs won’t make or break the Jets’ short or long-term prospects, but the league’s best teams always remain vigilant in trying to improve their roster in every way possible, even in the smallest of margins. Dobbs offers the Jets an opportunity to strengthen their depth at the game’s most important position.