Patriots Insider sheds some light on New England's motivation to trade Joe Milton III
All throughout the offseason, Joe Milton III's name has been floated around as a trade candidate after his strong performance in the New England Patriots' Week 18 win over the Buffalo Bills last season. On April 3, the Patriots ultimately sent Milton to the Dallas Cowboys, but the terms of the trade were what had […]
All throughout the offseason, Joe Milton III's name has been floated around as a trade candidate after his strong performance in the New England Patriots' Week 18 win over the Buffalo Bills last season.
On April 3, the Patriots ultimately sent Milton to the Dallas Cowboys, but the terms of the trade were what had many confused. The second-year quarterback along with a 2025 7th-round pick was sent to the Cowboys in exchange for a 2025 5th-round pick. That didn't seem like much.
However, the Patriots reportedly had a better offer on the table, but ultimately sent him to Dallas because that's where he preferred to play.
And that's not all. MassLive's Karen Guregian shed some more light on the trade, showing why the Patriots were so motivated to find Milton a new home.
Guregian reports that Milton "fancied himself a starter," but knew that he didn't have a "legitimate chance to compete with Drake Maye." Yet, he was confident that "he was good enough to give Maye a run, if not overtake him for the top job."
The coaching staff has made it clear that Maye is the starter, so instead, Milton requested that he be "somewhere he had a better chance to compete for the starter’s job."
And it seems that place was with the Cowboys. Yet, that also brings up another interesting point.
Dallas has Dak Prescott, who signed a four-year contract extension worth $240 million, including $231 million guaranteed at the start of the 2024 season.
But, whether it's Prescott's injury history or the opportunity to be a true backup quarterback rather than the third-string, Milton decided this was his best opportunity.
Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel didn't give much away on the Joe Milton trade rumors at the 2025 NFL League Meetings
At the 2025 Annual NFL League Meetings, Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel remained tight-lipped when asked about these trade rumors surrounding Milton. Instead, he commended the young quarterback for his efforts last season.
"Yeah, I think Joe did everything that they asked him to do last year. It sounds like, in conversations, that he worked extremely hard," Vrabel explained. "And that's tough when you're a quarterback. Everybody wants to play, everybody wants to be the starter. And it's great to have that attitude. And he was ready for his opportunity there late in the season, which I commend him on just like I would any player that sat there and went through a long season, a difficult season, and got the opportunity.
"He went out, won a football game, played well, helped his team win. And then, where that leads to, we'll see as the draft approaches and where Joe is on April 7 to start our offseason program. But you got to give Joe credit for being ready to go, going from the third quarterback to being able win that football game and stay ready and stay hungry."
