The trade terms were Milton plus a seventh-round pick (No. 217) for one of the Cowboys’ compensatory draft picks at the end of the fifth round (No. 171).
That’s what most backup quarterbacks are traded for. Milton is not most backup quarterbacks.
He’s Bazooka Joe, a 6-foot-5-inch athletic freak who can do standing backflips and throw the football 80 yards. He probably has the strongest arm in the NFL. Did you see the throws he made in that Week 18 game against Buffalo? He oozes potential.
Milton is also locked in to a minimum-salary contract for three more years, at a total of $3.225 million — pocket change in the NFL. He is the ultimate low-risk, high-reward prospect. If a coach can harness his talent, Milton could be a superstar. If not, Milton can be released with almost no penalty.
Yet the Patriots dumped him for practically nothing — moving up 46 spots from the top of the seventh to the bottom of the fifth round. They unloaded their asset before giving it a chance to mature. A league source said the Eagles also showed some interest.
Of course, it makes sense that the Patriots didn’t get much value for Milton — right now, at least. There’s a reason (or reasons) all 32 teams repeatedly passed over Milton last year as he fell to the sixth round. And while Milton showed impressive potential and authored a few eye-opening highlights in his one start in 2024, it was a glorified preseason game against the Bills’ backups in the final week for the season. He hasn’t done enough to warrant a big trade.
But if that meager return is all you’re going to get for Milton, why bother? There was plenty of time to increase the value of the asset. Why not hold on to Milton through training camp and let him showcase his talents in preseason games? Or next preseason?
The obvious answer is to placate Maye, their young franchise quarterback.
Eliot Wolf, the Patriots’ executive vice president of player personnel, was living dangerously last year when he drafted both Maye and Milton.
In a vacuum, it was a savvy move. Doubling up on quarterbacks was a tactic that Wolf learned from his father, Hall of Fame Packers executive Ron Wolf. By pick No. 193, Milton was worth a shot, especially if the Patriots could cash him in for a nice ROI in a year or two.
But it sent a strange signal to Maye, who had to be wondering, “Do you guys believe in me as the franchise quarterback, or not?”
Indeed, a league source said last month at the NFL Combine that Maye’s family was not thrilled when Milton was drafted. Maye also didn’t look too pleased about giving up the Week 18 game to Milton, leaving the locker room without speaking to reporters and then skipping locker room cleanout day.
How could they be thrilled with it? Maye had enough pressure on him as the No. 3 pick and the future of the franchise. Every handoff, every throw, and every sideline interaction was dissected by fans, media and coaches.
Now imagine having to go through that with Bazooka Joe also breathing down your neck. No other young quarterback has to deal with a fellow rookie whose arm is stronger, whose legs are faster and whose highlight reel is more eye-popping. Remember how threatened Tom Brady was by the presence of Jimmy Garoppolo? That was when Brady had already won three (and four, and five) Super Bowls.
Maye is more established now after a promising rookie season, but keeping Milton would have been an invitation for controversy. Whenever Maye has a bad day in camp, or a tough game on Sunday, a portion of the fan base and commentariat would be quick to say, “Why not give Joe Milton a shot?” Maye also plays a physical style of football that resulted in a concussion last year. With Milton behind him, the potential to be Bledsoe’d isn’t high, but still greater than zero.
Trading Milton is the Patriots’ way of telling Maye, and the fan base, that they are all in on Maye now. And they should be, given how well he played as a rookie.
Milton is no sure thing, either. One of Milton’s coaches from last year, no longer with the Patriots, described him as a player who needs to be motivated, especially when he doesn’t have a realistic shot at getting on the field. As happy as Maye likely is to see Milton gone, Milton is probably even more thrilled to leave Foxborough for Dallas. Dak Prescott hasn’t been able to stay healthy in three of his last five seasons, so Milton might have a chance to play in Dallas.
But the Patriots didn’t have to give away Milton, either. They could have held on for a better return.
As bright as Maye’s future looks in New England, the Patriots gave the Cowboys a potential winning lottery ticket, for practically nothing.
Ben Volin can be reached at [email protected].
