After weeks of rumors, the New England Patriots pulled the trigger on a trade that sent Joe Milton III to the Dallas Cowboys in exchange for draft compensation.
New England is getting a fifth-round pick in exchange for Milton and a seventh-round pick. Veteran Josh Dobbs is now in line to be the primary backup in 2025.
The move signals the end of a brief-but-fun run for Milton. A sixth-round pick in 2024, Milton served as a backup for Drake Maye as a rookie last season. But after an exciting start in Week 18, there was buzz that Milton could get some traction on the trade market.
In the end, the Patriots got a mild gain in draft capital in exchange for a player without a clear path to consistent playing time New England.
Here’s what they’re saying nationally about the trade:
Albert Breer, Sports Illustrated
"So Dallas moved a pick down 46 slots to land Milton."
Bill Simmons, The Ringer
“The Pats needed to trade Joe Milton because for the next 10 years he was a walking billboard for how (expletive) stupid the Krafts were last season.”
Skip Bayless, talking head
“Joe Milton has great size/big potential - had a nice reg-season finale for the Pats vs mostly Buff backups - but college career at Mich/Tenn was roller-coaster ride of great and shaky. Hence: 5th round. Doubt he’ll ever be Cooper Rush. But what backup is, except Baltimore’s?”
Doug Kyed, Boston Herald
“I’ve been saying fifth-round pick this whole time, so I’m not remotely surprised by the return. People throwing out a third-round pick were only setting fans up for disappointment. It was never realistic to get that return for Milton after one game.”
Phil Perry, NBC Sports Boston
“It’s not a big return. Indicative of what kinds of offers might’ve been out there for Milton. Also indicative of the team’s desire to hold onto him.”
RJ Ochoa, SB Nation
"Trading for Joe Milton is the PERFECT kind of way to address your backup quarterback situation. Well done on the Cowboys. Given that Milton still has 3 years of team control with his contract... THIS is exactly why this trade is brilliant (in terms of context) and the Trey Lance one wasn’t.Serious kudos to the Cowboys."
Mike Reiss, ESPN
“Trade of Joe Milton III for modest draft-pick return sparks a thought that it was driven as much by QB-room dynamics as anything else. It clears the runway for Drake Maye. Maye and veteran Joshua Dobbs the lone QBs now in the room.”
Mark Daniels, MassLive
“Going off in a Week 18 game that resembled an exhibition wasn’t going to boost anyone’s trade value that much.”
Andrew Callahan, Boston Herald
“Milton sees himself as a starter in the NFL, and this deal shows the market did not agree. His trade value was never what some in the media projected. Still, Milton gets his change of scenery, and the Pats add draft capital. Joshua Dobbs’ arrival signaled the Patriots wanted a new backup in 2025 all along. Wishing the best for Joe.”
Skubie Mageza, ESPN
“I don’t understand why the Patriots were hell bent on moving Joe Milton. Nothing wrong with having a good backup QB and they traded him away smh.”
Henry McKenna, Fox Sports
“The Joe Milton trade is a decent appreciation of value for the Patriots. They took him in the sixth. By trading him to the Cowboys, they get back a fifth and a seventh. He wanted a trade, too, which can make it harder to get a good return.”
Ian Rapoport, NFL Network
"When the Patriots signed Josh Dobbs as their backup, it was clear Joe Milton was on the market. The Cowboys have been the most interested from the outset, even telling reporters they were working on a QB trade. Now, it’s done, with Milton landing in Dallas."
Emmanuel Acho, Fox Sports
"The Cowboys acquiring Joe Milton doesn’t mean anything for Dak Prescott this year, that’s obvious. But, this does feel like the standard Cowboys starting quarterback origin story."
Ed Werder, long-time NFL reporter
"The new Trump trade tariffs had no impact on the Cowboys acquiring QB Joe Milton from the Patriots today, per sources directly involved. (Laughing emoji)"
Joseph Hoyt, Cowboys reporter
"Cowboys were likely to use a Day 3 pick on a developmental QB. Instead, they use a Day 3 pick to acquire Joe Milton, who has some intriguing traits. They’ll also have him for 3 years. For comparison sake: they gave up a 4th for 2 years of Trey Lance."
Field Yates, ESPN
"The Patriots used a sixth-round pick on Joe Milton III last year and in his lone start in Week 18, he flashed enough to generate trade interest. After signing Joshua Dobbs, the writing was on the wall that a trade was possible in New England."
Jordan Schultz
“My understanding is since Joe Milton became available at the start of the offseason, teams that showed interest included the Raiders, Eagles, Giants, Steelers and the Cowboys. The Patriots had a better offer for Milton but chose to send him where he wanted out of respect for him, per source.”
David Helman, Fox Sports
“Joe Milton had one of the wildest throws of the season on a snap that was ultimately called back. More than ok to watch him do crazy shit like this for a late-round pick swap.”
Marcus Mosher, Locked on Cowboys
“The likelihood of Joe Milton being good is pretty low. But at $3.5M over the next three years and it only cost a Day 3 pick swap? Sign me up.”
Andrew Siciliano, former NFL Network host
“Joe Milton was drafted in the 6th, plays so well Week 18 he drops the Patriots from #1 overall to #3, and then gets traded, with a 7th, for a 5th. It’s been a busy 11 months.”