Josh Dobbs says Cardinals coach Jonathan Gannon lied to him

Nov 5, 2023; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Minnesota Vikings quarterback Joshua Dobbs (15) after a victory against the Atlanta Falcons at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports

Josh Dobbs was traded to the Minnesota Vikings in a surprise move last week, and it sounds like the quarterback is not thrilled with the way Arizona Cardinals head coach Jonathan Gannon handled the situation.

Dobbs spoke on his “Torchbearers” podcast this week about the rollercoaster of emotions he experienced in the two days before he was traded to Minnesota. He said Gannon told him after Arizona’s Week 8 loss to the Baltimore Ravens that Dobbs would still be starting the following week against the Cleveland Browns. Then on Monday, Gannon told Dobbs it would be Clayton Tune under center in Week 9.

“We’re in the locker room. (Gannon) gets off his podium — he does media before I do — and he says I’m starting for the Cardinals in Cleveland the next week. … I go to the facility on Monday and J.G. calls me to his office and says, ‘Hey, we’re gonna start Clayton Tune in Cleveland.’ This is leading up to (Kyler Murray’s) return,” Dobbs recalled.

Dobbs said he was confused because Gannon had assured him he was not being traded. The quarterback’s agent said otherwise on Tuesday morning.

“I went home and called my agent, just talking to him about the situation,” Dobbs said. “Went to sleep, woke up Tuesday morning with a text from my agent saying, ‘Hey, you could be traded today because it’s the trade deadline.’ When I had the meeting with J.G. in Arizona he looked at me in the face and he said, ‘You’re not being traded. You’re not being released. You’re going to be here in Arizona.'”

Watch: #Vikings QB Josh Dobbs explained how his final 36 hours in Arizona went down😳

He was told on Sunday after the game vs the Ravens that he would be the starter.

He was then told the next day that the team would be starting Clayton Tune, but that he would not be getting… pic.twitter.com/efwAefQN7w

— Arye Pulli (@AryePulli) November 10, 2023

It seems unlikely that Gannon intentionally misled Dobbs. Remember, the Vikings only became interested in Dobbs after Kirk Cousins suffered a season-ending injury. Gannon probably did not anticipate Dobbs being traded when he told Dobbs as much after Sunday’s game. The question is whether Gannon knew a trade was in the works when he gave Dobbs no explanation for the sudden change of heart with Tune starting in Week 9 instead of Dobbs.

Dobbs certainly made the most of the situation. He orchestrated a comeback under some incredible circumstances in his first game with Minnesota.