It turns out that Joe Milton wasn't worth what some folks thought he was.
The Patriots have traded their physically gifted but raw backup quarterback—and a 7th-round pick—to the Cowboys for a 5th-round pick (#171 overall). This doesn't fulfill Milton's desire to compete for a starting job. He'll be stuck behind Dak Prescott much like he was in New England behind Drake Maye. The only difference is Prescott already has his many millions guaranteed, while Maye is entering year two of his rookie deal.
The writing has been on the wall since the Senior Bowl. Bedard first discussed the league's interest in the former Tennessee signal caller, and the Pats didn't do anything to quell that noise, giving backup Josh Dobbs $3.8 million guaranteed (on a two-year contract).
"Everybody wants to play," Mike Vrabel offered at the league meetings this week. "Everybody wants to be the starter, everybody, and that'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 then got the opportunity, 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, or where Joe is on April 7 to start our off-season program. But you have to give Joe credit for being ready to go, going from the third quarterback to being able to win that football game and stay ready and stay hungry."
Milton made his only appearance in 2024-25 in that regular-season finale against the Buffalo Bills' junior varsity. Vrabel is right, Milton looked more than capable, completing 22 of 29 passes for 241 yards and a touchdown. His pocket awareness showed improvement, and he wasn't as quick to take off as he appeared in the preseason.
BSJ ANALYSIS
I'm surprised the Pats moved on from Milton for this price, but he and his people haven't been quiet about wanting to move on from the situation he was in. I'm sure this isn't their preferred destination, but there was no reason for Vrabel and company to show loyalty to a player who a) they didn't draft and b) was making noise without any real accomplishments. That said, I believe there would have potentially been more value post-draft (for a team that missed out on a QB) or even in training camp if another team had suffered an injury at the quarterback position.