New Report Explains Puzzling Timing Of Patriots’ Joe Milton III Trade

The New England Patriots trading Joe Milton III last week wasn’t a surprise. But the move did cause some head scratching.

Rumors swirled about the Patriots moving on from the backup quarterback this offseason and they finally did so when they dealt him and a 2025 seventh-round draft pick to the Dallas Cowboys for a 2025 fifth-round draft pick.

The return for Milton felt light, given the hype around him and the value of the position he plays. The Patriots trading him three weeks before the NFL draft seemed perplexing, too.

But ESPN’s Mike Reiss provided context Sunday into why the Patriots pulled the trigger on the deal when they did.

“The timing, according to a source familiar with the team’s thinking, wasn’t a coincidence,” Reiss wrote. “Monday marks the start of the team’s voluntary program, and (Mike) Vrabel views that as a meaningful checkpoint in the process of establishing team culture and the dynamic that ideally unfolds within each position group.”

Milton, who the Patriots drafted in the sixth-round of last year’s draft out of Tennessee, saw his stock rise after playing in New England’s season finale against the Buffalo Bills. The 6-foot-5, 246-pound gunslinger completed 22-of-29 passes for 241 yards with one touchdown against Buffalo’s backups. Milton also ran for a score.

Milton wouldn’t get the chance to start with New England due to Drake Maye’s firm hold on the job and the Patriots ultimately decided to trade Milton away before any possible friction occurred in the quarterback room.

It’s fair to question the Patriots for not holding onto Milton for longer, though. If the Patriots wanted to maximize Milton’s value, the best time to trade him would have been in the preseason where he could have impressed teams during the exhibition slate.

Instead, the Patriots took what was available and added a fifth-round pick to their ledger as Vrabel looks to retool the team.