Given the chance Thursday to say he’d like to return to the San Francisco 49ers next season, quarterback Josh Dobbs, well, passed.
“Free agency will be free agency, so we’ll let that handle itself,” Dobbs said Thursday when asked if he’d like to be back with the 49ers in 2025.
His non-answer wasn’t shocking. Dobbs signed with the 49ers in March, expecting to serve as Brock Purdy’s backup, and he disagreed with head coach Kyle Shanahan’s decision in early September to make him the third-stringer behind Brandon Allen.
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Dobbs, 29, will start the regular-season finale at Arizona on Sunday with Purdy sidelined with an elbow injury. But it’s not because Shanahan has said Dobbs has leapfrogged Allen on the depth chart. Rather, Shanahan has pointed to the 49ers’ makeshift offensive line, a unit riddled by injuries, and said Dobbs will get the nod because he’s more mobile than Allen.
The situation is why Dobbs’ first start with the 49ers (6-10) figures to be his last game with the team. Dobbs admitted he’s aware that Sunday’s no-stakes game against the Cardinals (7-10) could have plenty of meaning when it comes to his future.
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“Any time you get a chance to get on the field and play it’s always an audition,” Dobbs said. “Not only for the team that you’re on, but for the other 31 teams, especially knowing my contract situation and being a free agent in March.”
Dobbs is a journeyman – he’s spent time with eight teams – whose journey took a promising turn last season.
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After making two starts from 2018-22, Dobbs made 12 starts last season with the Cardinals and Vikings. He completed 62.8% of his passes, accounted for 19 touchdowns, threw 10 interceptions, won an NFC Offensive Player of the Week award and ranked fifth among QB in rushing yards (416).
He signed with the 49ers partly because he wanted to continue his development in a widely mimicked offense overseen by Shanahan, but this season hasn’t been what he envisioned: Dobbs has received scant practice snaps as the No. 3 QB.
“I’ve learned a lot about patience,” Dobbs said. “I said it before I got my first opportunity to play that the league taught me a ton about patience. And just perseverance and mental toughness through it all because my first time not starting was when I got to the NFL.”
Dobbs told the Chronicle in early September that he was surprised Shanahan selected Allen as the backup to Purdy after their training-camp competition.
Dobbs had a slightly higher passer rating (84.7 to 81.8) in preseason games and added 28 yards on six carries with two touchdowns. The 49ers scored 26 points on Dobbs’ 11 possessions. They had 14 points on Allen’s 10 drives.
“Even if you don’t agree with it, you still have to go out and be ready to play,” Dobbs said at the time. “Feelings aside, (there’s) the professionalism of work and preparation … It’s not ideal for me, honestly, but I’m going to prepare the same way I prepare and be ready to go when my number’s called.”
Sixteen regular-season games later, Dobbs’ number has been called. And he’s eager to show he’s capable of far more than this season’s third-string status would suggest.
“Hopefully, you’re setting yourself up to be a starter and be a guy that some organization can rely on week-in and week-out,” Dobbs said. “That’s (the) ultimate goal every single time I step on the field.”
