It was long rumored the New England Patriots would look to part ways with Joe Milton III this offseason with their quarterback position already locked up for the present and future.
And the Patriots finally pulled the trigger on a deal Thursday.
The Patriots traded Milton and a seventh-round pick in this month’s NFL draft to the Dallas Cowboys for a 2025 fifth-round draft pick. It was an underwhelming value in return for the Patriots given the buzz surrounding Milton this offseason.
NFL insider Jordan Schultz reported numerous teams were interested and that the Patriots even had a “better offer” on the table for Milton, but wanted to do right by the young quarterback. But Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer provided contrary information in a report later Thursday that detailed that trade offers for Milton — despite the various interest — weren’t flowing in.
“One interesting piece of context — while there were talks with other teams, in the end, the Cowboys’ offer was the only one the Patriots had for QB Joe Milton,” Breer wrote on X. “So they took the bird in the hand, and moved the 2024 sixth-rounder.”
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The Patriots probably wanted to make sure they offloaded Milton before it became too late and they were stuck with him this season. So, getting a deal done before the draft might have been imperative for them.
Milton caught the attention of teams around the league due to his Week 18 performance against backups from the Buffalo Bills last season. Milton, who cost the Patriots the No. 1 overall pick by leading them to a win over their divisional rival, completed 22-of-29 passes for 241 yards and a touchdown. He also ran for a score.
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Patriots fans likely hoped that showing plus Milton’s potential would score them a bigger return in a trade.
Regardless if there was a better offer or not, the Patriots did a good job adding to their draft capital — they now have two fifth-round picks. And what they do with the pick they got from the Cowboys and how Milton pans out with Dallas will determine if the Patriots made a good decision with this trade.
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Featured image via David Butler II/Imagn Images
