On Thursday, the New England Patriots surprisingly agreed to commerce backup quarterback Joe Milton III and a 2025 seventh-round draft choose to the Dallas Cowboys in return for a 2025 fifth-round selection.
Later within the day, ESPN’s Seth Walder named the Cowboys the clear winner of that transaction.
“If the Patriots have been going to maneuver on from Milton,” Walder stated, “I assumed they’d get greater than this. He was a sixth-round choose a 12 months in the past and — even with all of the caveats of the circumstances of his one sport — absolutely his inventory has gone up since then, proper? As a substitute, they received again solely near what they paid for him. A number of groups will certainly use a fifth- or sixth-round choose on shaky QB prospects later this month.”
Milton grew to become the topic of quite a few commerce rumors after he accomplished 22-of-29 passes for 241 yards with a landing in opposition to principally backups in New England’s Week 18 win over the Buffalo Payments this previous January. The 25-year-old additionally rushed for 16 yards and a rating on 10 carries in that contest.
As just lately as Wednesday, it was suggested that the Patriots would maintain onto Milton by the upcoming draft except the membership acquired a third-round choose for his providers. In spite of everything, New England had him under contract for the following a number of seasons, and he might’ve given the membership safety if first-choice starter Drake Maye grew to become unavailable for any cause.
“Maybe new coach Mike Vrabel felt Milton’s efficiency was a mirage and most well-liked the upper ground of the just lately signed Joshua Dobbs as his backup possibility,” Walder added concerning the Patriots’ doable mindset. “Even when that is true, I nonetheless would have anticipated them to get a bit extra worth for Milton. And within the absence of that, I would moderately roll the cube on him growing additional.”
On Thursday morning, Jordan Schultz of Fox Sports activities reported that “the Patriots had a greater supply for Milton however selected to ship him the place he wished out of respect for him.” Based on Schultz, the Las Vegas Raiders, Philadelphia Eagles, New York Giants and Pittsburgh Steelers “confirmed curiosity” in Milton this offseason.
In the meantime, Milton will develop into a backup for a Dallas group that gave starter Dak Prescott a four-year contract extension reportedly value $240M with $231M assured this previous September. It will probably be bad news for the Cowboys if Milton takes a significant in-game snap earlier than 2026 as quickly as doable.
