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49ers' Josh Dobbs discusses faith getting him through up-and-down career, life as backup quarterback

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49ers' Josh Dobbs discusses faith getting him through up-and-down career, life as backup quarterback

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Josh Dobbs has had quite a roller coaster of an NFL career.

The 2017 fourth-rounder made his second career start in a win-or-go-home game for the Tennessee Titans in the 2022 season. Set to back up in Cleveland in 2023, he was traded to the Arizona Cardinals less than two weeks before that season started to be their starter in Kyler Murray’s absence. In the middle of that year, he was traded to the Minnesota Vikings and eventually found himself starting for them.

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Entering his eighth season, he is now backing up Brock Purdy in San Francisco, and while it’s not his ultimate goal to ride behind a starter, he’s learned not to take this journey for granted.

“You never really embrace [being a backup]. You don’t wake up at 6 a.m. every day in the offseason and do three workouts a day in order to back up,” Dobbs admitted in a recent interview with Fox News Digital. “I’m aspiring to be that guy on the field that an organization and your teammates look to every Sunday to lead your team to victory. But you also understand there are also 32 individuals that get to have that role in the world. 

Joshua Dobbs of the San Francisco 49ers warms up prior to the start of the game against the New Orleans Saints at Levi’s Stadium on August 18, 2024, in Santa Clara, California. (Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images)

“Being in the NFL and being one of 96 quarterbacks in the world to do what we do is a tremendous honor, and it’s rare air. And whatever role you have in your room, the best course of action is to embrace that role.”

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Dobbs didn’t get the privilege of having many opportunities handed to him, but when he’s had them, he’s taken advantage, which is what he’s most proud of thus far. 

“For a guy in my position, it’s very easy to get drafted behind a Hall of Famer, you play behind him for five years, and you never get a serious opportunity to play on a Sunday. I’s easy for those guys to get complacent, not keep working, or really, quite frankly, quit on themselves …” Dobbs said. “But everything I’ve done has been to position myself with the opportunity to go out and play on Sundays. I’m proud of myself for being able to put myself in awkward situations that I don’t think a lot of people would be able to.”

“I love my career because it’s my story. Everyone has their own unique story, and it’s no point of relating my story to anyone else because no one’s walked through what I’ve had to go through, and I haven’t walked through what anyone else has had to go through to get to where they are. So, I’m proud of my story, I’m proud of my journey thus far, and I’m excited to see where it continues to take me.”

He also credits his faith for getting him through a tough career.

Joshua Dobbs of the San Francisco 49ers walks off the field after a preseason game against the Raiders at Allegiant Stadium on August 23, 2024, in Las Vegas. (Chris Unger/Getty Images)

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“You have to believe that every situation you’re put in, you’ve been prepared for by the Lord above. … Quite frankly, no one’s ever grown by being perfect. No one’s ever grown by not making mistakes or facing adversity. It’s been a really cool journey, a cool story to show the next generation of student-athletes and people that aspire to be in the NFL to take advantage of your opportunities. There’s no limit on what you can accomplish, so by doing that, I have to have faith in the Lord above that he’s putting me in situations I’m prepared for, I’m excited for, I can go out and excel in, and I can use my platform in order to inspire the next generation.”

Dobbs, Case Keenum and recently retired Colt McCoy have teamed up with Progressive for their new campaign, “The Backup,” where the quarterbacks aim to relate to the average human.

“Obviously, my goal isn’t to be a backup in the NFL forever. I aspire to start. But we also know in life, it’s good sometimes to have a backup. That’s the heartiness of this commercial,” Dobbs said. “We’re all athletes, and we’re not viewed like the real world and real-life issues that a lot of Americans have to go through. We need to make sure we have our own insurance plans and a lot of things we go through off the field.”

Dobbs said he is not “naive” to situations in the NFL, which is what led him to his current role (he also is pretty excited to be on a Super Bowl contender). However, although it’s unlikely he’ll see much time on the field, he says he can still come away with lots of success in 2024.

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Joshua Dobbs of the San Francisco 49ers drops back to pass against the New Orleans Saints during the first half of a preseason game at Levi’s Stadium on August 18, 2024, in Santa Clara, California. (Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images)

“A successful season for me is if I’m taking advantage of every opportunity. In practice, if I had two passes, were they my best two plays? Am I impacting my teammates on a day-in and day-out basis? How I carry myself, how I prepare, how I interact from a football and life perspective and using my platform for good to inspire the next generation, that’s how I measure success. Yeah, it would be great to throw 100 touchdowns this season, but if I take care of those things, the opportunities I have on the field will take care of themselves.”

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Miami Heat star Bam Adebayo makes NBA history with 83-point game

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Miami Heat star Bam Adebayo makes NBA history with 83-point game

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Miami Heat star Bam Adebayo made NBA history on Tuesday night.

Adebayo scored 83 points, all while setting league marks for free throws made and attempted in a game for the Miami Heat in a 150-129 win over the Washington Wizards. It is the second-highest scoring game for a player ever, only to Wilt Chamberlain’s famed 100-point game.

“An absolutely surreal night,” Heat coach Erik Spoelstra told reporters after the game.

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Adebayo started with a 31-point first quarter. He was up to 43 at halftime, 62 by the end of the third quarter. And then came the fourth, when the milestones kept falling despite facing double-, triple- and what once appeared to be a quadruple-team from a Wizards defense that kept sending him to the foul line.

He finished 20 of 43 from the field, 36 of 43 from the foul line, 7 for 22 from 3-point range.

After the game, he was seen in tears while he hugged his mother, Marilyn Blount, before leaving the floor after the game.

“Welp won’t have the highest career high in the house anymore,” Adebayo’s girlfriend, four-time WNBA MVP A’ja Wilson, wrote on social media, “but at least it gives me something to go after.”

MAGIC’S ANTHONY BLACK MAKES INCREDIBLE DUNK OVER FOUR DEFENDERS IN HISTORIC NBA GAME

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Bam Adebayo #13 of the Miami Heat celebrates during the fourth quarter of the game against the Washington Wizards at Kaseya Center on March 10, 2026, in Miami, Florida.  (Megan Briggs/Getty Images)

The NBA’s previous best this season was 56, by Nikola Jokic for Denver against Minnesota on Christmas night. The last player to have 62 points through three quarters: one of Adebayo’s basketball heroes, Kobe Bryant, who had exactly that many through three quarters for the Los Angeles Lakers against Dallas on Dec. 20, 2005.

He wound up passing Bryant for single-game scoring as well. Bryant’s career-best was 81 — a game that was the second-best on the NBA scoring list for two decades.

Adebayo scored 31 points in the opening quarter against the Wizards, breaking the Heat record for points in any quarter — and tying the team record for points in a first half before the second quarter even started.

He finished the first half with 43 points, a team record for any half and two points better than his previous career high — for a full game, that is — of 41, set Jan. 23, 2021, against Brooklyn.

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Adebayo’s season high entering Tuesday was 32. He matched that with a free throw with 5:53 left in the second quarter, breaking the Heat first-half scoring record.

Adebayo’s 43-point first half was the NBA’s second-best in at least the last 30 seasons — going back to the start of the digital play-by-play era that began in the 1996-97 season.

The Associated Press contributed to this report. 

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Kings lose in overtime to the Boston Bruins

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Kings lose in overtime to the Boston Bruins

Charlie McAvoy scored 39 seconds into overtime and Jeremy Swayman stopped 14 shots on Tuesday night to earn the Boston Bruins their 13th straight victory at home, 2-1 over the Kings.

Mason Lohrei scored midway through the third period to break a scoreless tie. But the Kings tied it five minutes later when Drew Doughty’s shot from the blue line deflected off the heel of Bruins forward Elias Lindholm and into the net.

It was the seventh straight time the teams had gone to overtime in Boston.

In the overtime, Mark Kastelic blocked a shot in the defensive zone and made a long pass to David Pastrnak, who waited for McAvoy to come into the zone. The Bruins’ defenseman and U.S. Olympian, who went to the locker room at the end of the second period after taking a puck off his mouth, skated in on Darcy Kuemper and went to his backhand for the winner.

Kuemper stopped 21 shots for the Kings, who entered the night one point out of the second wild-card spot in the Western Conference. The victory kept Boston in possession of the East’s second wild-card spot.

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Swayman tied his career high with his 25th win of the season. The Bruins haven’t lost at the TD Garden since before Christmas.

After the game, Kings forward and future Hall of Famer Anze Kopitar stayed on the ice to shake hands with the Bruins after what is expected to be his last game in Boston.

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Jon Jones requests UFC release after Dana White says legend was ‘never’ considered him for White House card

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Jon Jones requests UFC release after Dana White says legend was ‘never’ considered him for White House card

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Mixed martial arts legend Jon Jones ended his retirement from UFC simply because he wanted a spot on the “Freedom 250” fight card at the White House in June. 

But, when UFC CEO Dana White announced the card during UFC 326 this past weekend, Jones wasn’t among the fighters. As a result, he has requested a release from his UFC contract. 

White was candid when asked about Jones following the UFC 326 card. 

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Jon Jones of the United States of America reacts after his TKO victory against Stipe Miocic of the United States of America in the UFC heavyweight championship fight during the UFC 309 event at Madison Square Garden on Nov. 16, 2024 in New York City.  ((Photo by Sarah Stier/Getty Images))

“Never, ever, ever, which I told you guys a hundred thousands times, was Jon Jones ever even remotely in my mind to fight at the White House,” White explained, per CBS Sports. “Some guy with Meta Glasses filmed him talking about his hips – that his hips are so bad. And I don’t know if you guys saw that flag football game where he can barely run. Jon Jones retired because of his hips. He’s got arthritis in his hips. Apparently, doctors say he should have a hip replacement.”

White added that “the Jon Jones thing is bulls—,” saying that he texted the fighter’s lawyer saying he would never be on the White House card despite Jones saying he was in negotiations for it. 

UFC ANNOUNCES CARD FOR WHITE HOUSE EVENT

The Meta Glasses incident White is referring to came from a viral video, where Jones, unaware he was being filmed, discussed issues with his hips to a fan. 

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On Monday, Jones composed a thorough response to White’s comments about him and the White House Card. He previously posted and deleted social media explanations, but Monday’s appeared to be his final statement on the matter. 

UFC President Dana White speaks after UFC Fight Night at Toyota Center on Feb. 21, 2026.  (Troy Taormina/Imagn Images)

“Yes, I have arthritis in my hip and it’s painful, but that doesn’t mean I can’t fight,” Jones, who retired a heavyweight champion in 2025, said. “So let me get this straight, if I had accepted the lowball offer, suddenly my hip would be fine and I’d be on the White House card? That doesn’t make sense. I even received stem cell treatment last week to get ready for the White House card, and training camp was scheduled to start today. I was preparing to be ready. 

“I understand business deals fall through sometimes, but going out publicly and saying things that aren’t true isn’t right. After everything I’ve given to the UFC, the years, the title defenses, the fights, hearing that I’m ‘done’ is disappointing. Especially when as recently as Friday UFC was calling me trying to get me on that White House card for a much lower number.”

Jones finished his statement by saying he “respectfully” asks to be released from his UFC contract.

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Jon Jones enters the ring before facing Stipe Miocic in the UFC heavyweight championship fight during the UFC 309 event at Madison Square Garden on November 16, 2024 in New York City, New York. (Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC)

“No more spins, no more games. Thank you to the real fans who know what’s up,” he wrote. 

The UFC did not immediately respond to a request for comment by Fox News Digital.

Jones is considered one of the best UFC fighters of all time, owning a 28-1-1 record, which includes his last bout with Stipe Miocic, knocking him out to take the heavyweight title belt. He is also a two-time light heavyweight champion. 

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