The New England Patriots have been one of the most active teams this offseason, using NFL free agency to fortify the defense and provide quarterback Drake Maye with some help. Now that the 2025 NFL Draft is approaching, the trade market could be the next avenue to improve the Patriots roster.
While New England seemingly whiffed on a few of its picks from the 2024 NFL Draft class, Maye’s emergence as a franchise-caliber quarterback masked it all. New England now knows it has a face of the organization who can carry the offense on his shoulders, playing at a high level and making the talent around him better.
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The Patriots also came out of the 2024 draft with quarterback Joe Milton. Selected with the 193rd overall pick, Milton impressed in the regular season. He only appeared in one regular-season game as a rookie, but he posted a 111.4 QB rating with a 75.9% completion rate and 241 passing yards with 2 total touchdowns in it.
Milton’s name has already surfaced in NFL rumors this offseason, especially after the team signed veteran quarterback Joshua Dobbs to back up Maye. With a veteran cemented as the mentor to support Maye, New England’s 2024 sixth-round pick becomes expendable.
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On Wednesday’s 98.5 The Sports Hub’s “Zolak & Bertrand”, Patriots’ color analyst Scott Zolak said that the Patriots are ‘100 percent’ trading Milton ahead of the 2025 NFL Draft with conversations going on now.
Joe Milton stats (ESPN): 72.4 ESPN QBR, 1-0 TD-INT, 241 passing yards, 8.3 ypa, 16 rushing yards
Milton, age 25, is an enticing gamble for a quarterback-needy team that doesn’t love the available options in this year’s class. The 6-foot-5 passer’s arm strength is believed by many to be even better than Josh Allen, but accuracy and decision-making have been issues for him since college.
The general belief is that the Patriots want a third-round pick for Milton, which would be a huge return on their investment one year later. However, clubs will likely wait for New England’s asking price to come down with the potential hope of a conditional Day 3 pick in 226 or a 2025 fourth-round pick being enough. While a deal isn’t imminent, Milton seems destined to be moved ahead of or during the 2025 NFL Draft.
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