So, the other day, I got curious about Josh Dobbs, you know, the quarterback who seems to pop up on different teams. I started wondering what his actual career earnings looked like after all these years bouncing around the league. It wasn’t like checking a superstar’s massive contract; finding numbers for guys who’ve been backups or spot starters takes a bit more digging.
My first step was just firing up the old search engine. Typed in something simple like “josh dobbs contract money” or “how much has josh dobbs made”. You get a bunch of results right away, mostly news articles whenever he signed with a new team – Steelers, Jaguars, Browns, Titans, Cardinals, Vikings… man, he’s worn a few helmets.
Putting the Pieces Together
The tricky part was adding it all up. It’s not like he had one big long-term deal. It was more like piecing together a puzzle. I had to look at:
- His initial rookie contract with the Steelers.
- Then the smaller deals, often near the league minimum, when he signed as a backup or was traded.
- Remembering things like signing bonuses, roster bonuses, and workout bonuses – they add up!
- Checking different sports finance websites, the ones that track player contracts pretty closely. You have to cross-reference a bit because sometimes one site has slightly different details than another.
I started jotting down the numbers year by year, team by team. His rookie deal with Pittsburgh was the starting point. Then came stints elsewhere, sometimes just for training camp, other times making the roster. Cleveland paid him a bit, then that short time with Tennessee, and of course the trades and signings with Arizona and Minnesota more recently.
It wasn’t straightforward because you see a contract announced, say for $1 million, but that doesn’t mean he earned it all if he got cut or traded partway through. You have to look for the guaranteed money and what he actually pocketed each season.
After going through several seasons and different team records I found online, I could finally get a ballpark figure. It wasn’t superstar money, obviously, but definitely a solid amount for a guy who’s carved out a niche as a capable backup and spot starter. It really shows the grind of players who aren’t the big headliners but stick around in the league through smarts and hard work. It was an interesting little dive into how NFL contracts work for journeymen players.
