Joe Milton getting traded to the Dallas Cowboys could lead to some awkwardness between a couple of former Tennessee Vols
The New England Patriots traded former Tennessee Vols quarterback Joe Milton to the Dallas Cowboys on Thursday. New England acquired a fifth round pick in the deal while also sending a seventh round pick to Dallas. Part of the reason that the Patriots traded Milton was because they signed former Tennessee quarterback Josh Dobbs earlier […]
The New England Patriots traded former Tennessee Vols quarterback Joe Milton to the Dallas Cowboys on Thursday.
New England acquired a fifth round pick in the deal while also sending a seventh round pick to Dallas.
Part of the reason that the Patriots traded Milton was because they signed former Tennessee quarterback Josh Dobbs earlier this offseason to serve as the primary backup to starter Drake Maye.
According to NFL insider Albert Breer, the Patriots "signaled" to Dobbs that it was likely that Milton would be dealt. In other words, Dobbs knew that if he signed with the Patriots, it would likely result in Milton getting shipped out of New England.
According to a report from MassLive.com's Mark Daniels, Milton wanted out of New England due to the Patriots' offseason maneuvering (which resulted in a scenario where Milton was going to have to compete with Dobbs for the No. 2 quarterback job).
From MassLive.com: According to a source, Milton wanted out of New England to have a better chance to compete for a starting job. Considering the Patriots drafted Drake Maye at No. 3 overall and then signed veteran back Josh Dobbs to a 2-year, $8 million deal, it didn’t seem like the young quarterback would get that chance in New England.
Ultimately, business is business. Milton landed in a good spot with the Cowboys where he'll serve as the backup to Dak Prescott, who has developed a reputation for being injury prone in recent years (which means Milton should stand a good chance of earning a few spot starts). And Dobbs was reunited with Mike Vrabel in New England (the two were together briefly with the Tennessee Titans in late 2022).
I don't think this is a situation where there will be any bad blood between Dobbs and Milton, but it could certainly lead to some awkwardness between the former Vols the next time they're both in Knoxville.
