The latest report going around about Joe Milton seems fishy and Tennessee Vols fans should be the first to realize it
Former Tennessee Vols quarterback Joe Milton was traded from the New England Patriots to the Dallas Cowboys this past week. Milton, a sixth round pick by the Patriots in the 2024 NFL Draft, will likely serve as the backup to starter Dak Prescott in Dallas. The Patriots' decision to trade Milton came less than a […]
Former Tennessee Vols quarterback Joe Milton was traded from the New England Patriots to the Dallas Cowboys this past week.
Milton, a sixth round pick by the Patriots in the 2024 NFL Draft, will likely serve as the backup to starter Dak Prescott in Dallas.
The Patriots' decision to trade Milton came less than a month after the franchise signed former Tennessee quarterback Josh Dobbs, who is entering his 9th season in the NFL, to serve as starter Drake Maye's backup (Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel, who was hired by New England earlier this offseason, coached Dobbs in 2022 with the Tennessee Titans).
On Sunday, MassLive.com's Karen Guregian provided some insight into New England's decision to trade Milton. According to Guregian, Milton wanted out of New England because he wasn't given a legitimate chance to compete with Maye for the starting job.
From MassLive.com: Based on intel gathered from sources during the week, Milton fancied himself a starter. He didn’t see himself being given a legitimate chance to compete with Drake Maye.
He also believed he was good enough to give Maye a run, if not overtake him for the top job.
If that chance didn’t exist, Milton preferred being elsewhere, somewhere he had a better chance to compete for the starter’s job.
Unsurprisingly, this report from MassLive.com is being framed as though Milton forced his way out of New England because he felt he deserved to be competing for the starting job.
No one really knows what kind of conversations happened between Milton and the Patriots behind closed doors, so I'm not necessarily trying to dispute Guregian's intel.
But based on what we know about Milton from his time at Tennessee, this report doesn't seem to add up.
In 2021, Milton, after suffering an early season injury against Pittsburgh, lost the starting job at Tennessee to Hendon Hooker. As a result of the injury, Hooker took hold of the starting job for the rest of the 2021 season and he held onto it until late in the 2022 season, only relinquishing the starting job after suffering a torn ACL against South Carolina in the penultimate game of the regular season.
Milton won the starting job during fall camp in 2021, made two starts, suffered an injury, and then watched Hooker start the next 22 games for the Volunteers. Milton didn't pout, he didn't transfer, he didn't complain. In fact, he was, by all accounts, a perfect teammate. Milton was one of the Hooker's biggest and most visible supporters on game days.
Additionally, Milton was a key team leader for Tennessee while serving as the backup to Hooker.
“Joe has been great all season long," said Vols head coach Josh Heupel in late 2022. "I think it’s a unique story in today’s atmosphere inside of college football that someone is that talented and has had some success at the quarterback position, ends up being moved to the No. 2 spot, sees that there’s value in the staff cares about me, the staff can help develop me. I can perform inside of this offense, and my traits fit this. And I’ve got to stay the course because I need to grow. That can be mentally, it can be emotionally, it can be fundamentally."
“I think in today’s world for a young man to see that and be able to say, hey, I’m going to sit here, I’m going to compete every single day with Hendon or whoever that young man might be and to handle it the right way is a great story. He’s prepared like he’s going to be the starter, all off-season, all training camp, all season long. He’s continued to grow."
Maybe the narrative going around about Milton and the way he felt about playing in New England is correct. Only Milton truly knows for sure.
But based on how we saw Milton handle a tough situation at Tennessee for nearly two full seasons, it would be surprising if that narrative is 100 percent accurate.
Jon Gruden says there’s a job he wants with the Tennessee Vols football program
Maybe the Vols will hire him
