The writing was on the wall – and now Joe Milton III is on the move.
According to a source, the Patriots are trading Milton to the Dallas Cowboys along with a seventh-round pick in exchange for a fifth-rounder.
This move has been in the making. 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.
Now, Milton will go to Dallas where he’ll likely backup starter Dak Prescott and hope to climb the Cowboys depth chart. The team lost longtime backup Cooper Rush in free agency. Milton joins a quarterback depth chart that includes Prescott and Will Grier.
The 2024 sixth-round pick was the Patriots No. 3 quarterback last season behind Maye and Jacoby Brissett. The 25-year-old started his first NFL game in Week 18 and led the Patriots to an upset win over the Buffalo Bills. Milton completed 22-of-29 passes for 241 yards to go with a passing touchdown. He also ran for 16 yards and scored a rushing touchdown.
That performance cost the Patriots the top overall pick, but showed what Milton was capable of. In the end, the young quarterback desired to be on a team where he had a better future.
On Monday, at the NFL Annual Meetings, Mike Vrabel was asked about Milton potentially being traded. The Patriots coach seemed to understand Milton’s situation.
“Yeah, I think Joe’s did everything that they asked him to do last year. Sounds like in conversations that he worked extremely hard, and that’s tough when you’re a quarterback,” Vrabel said. “Everybody wants to play. 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 offseason 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.”
The Patriots now head into the offseason with Maye and Dobbs on their quarterback depth chart. It wouldn’t be a surprise to see them add a third player to the group this offseason.
ESPN was the first to report the news of Milton being traded to Dallas.