The New England Patriots traded quarterback Joe Milton III and a seventh-round pick to the Dallas Cowboys for a fifth-round pick last week.
It was somewhat of a surprising move, as the Patriots’ asking price was thought to be much higher for a fun, athletic prospect that was thought of very highly.
In Milton’s lone start last season for the Patriots, the same athleticism and big arm that he displayed during his college career at Tennessee were on full display.
So why did New England dump him for nothing?
According to MassLive.com’s Karen Guregian, “Milton fancied himself a starter.”
He didn’t see a path to compete with incumbent starting quarterback Drake Maye, whom the Patriots selected in the first round of last season’s draft. Milton believed he could compete with Maye in the preseason and eventually overthrow him for the starting job.
So the Patriots nipped the quarterback controversy in the bud before it could even start, shipping him to Dallas for a late-round draft pick.
But Milton didn’t exactly get his way here, right?
Unless the Cowboys decide to surprise everybody and trade Dak Prescott, Milton is still going to be the backup quarterback in Dallas. Sure, we see surprises all the time—especially around the NFL Draft.
Prescott’s Cowboys have been underachievers. But if they trade Prescott now, it would be for significant draft capital. In all likelihood, they’d have their eyes on yet another young QB if they moved off Prescott.
Prescott is 31 years old. Milton is just 25. For the Cowboys, they will get an incredible look at an exciting young player to serve as their backup quarterback. Remember, this is the same organization that gave Trey Lance a shot at NFL redemption behind Prescott last season.
Since the pandemic, the Cowboys have been forced to start Lance, Cooper Rush, Garrett Gilbert, Andy Dalton and Ben DiNucci. Prescott hasn’t exactly been the most available QB in the NFL.
But this feels much less about the Cowboys and much more about the Patriots. New England is completely focused on building around Maye, and having the threat of Milton looming in the shadows is an unnecessary distraction for new head coach Mike Vrabel as he looks to rebuild a culture with the Patriots.
Vrabel wants players who want to be in New England, and there’s nothing wrong with that at all.
The last thing the Patriots need right now is a controversy. Maye showed signs of being a promising NFL starter, but so did Milton in a much lesser sample size.
If we know anything about NFL fans, it’s that they love pounding the table for the backup quarterback the moment the starter struggles. But isn’t that exactly how Patriots fans were introduced to Tom Brady after Drew Bledsoe went down?
