The Joe Milton era in New England is over, before it really had a chance to begin.
The New England Patriots are trading the backup quarterback and a 2025 seventh-round pick to the Dallas Cowboys, Adam Schefter reported on Thursday morning. The Patriots will receive a 2025 compensatory fifth-round pick in return.
Trade: New England is sending QB Joe Milton to the Dallas Cowboys, sources tell ESPN. With Cooper Rush going to Baltimore, Dallas now has a new backup for Dak Prescott. pic.twitter.com/AIVVuvsel2
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) April 3, 2025
The news doesn’t come as a huge surprise.
Last season’s backup Jacoby Brissett signed for the Arizona Cardinals on March 14th, leaving Milton as the second string quarterback. Just days after Brissett’s departure however, the Patriots signed QB Joshua Dobbs to backup to Drake Maye. This raised questions about Milton’s role going forward.
Milton has ambitions and considers himself a potential starter. He reportedly wanted out of New England in order to compete for.a starting job and the Patriots let him seek a trade partner.
Plenty of teams were interested in making a move for him such as the Giants and Raiders, according to Jordan Schultz. There were plenty of teams that needed a quarterback, and at least one team reportedly offered the Patriots better than a fifth-round pick.
My understanding is since Joe Milton became available at the start of the offseason, teams that showed interest included the Raiders, Eagles, Giants, Steelers and the Cowboys.
The #Patriots had a better offer for Milton but chose to send him where he wanted out of respect for… https://t.co/kNDFPA4yem pic.twitter.com/iHKhmhRsCv
— Jordan Schultz (@Schultz_Report) April 3, 2025
Ultimately the decision came down to where Milton wanted to go and that was Dallas.
“My family grew up a Cowboys fan,” Milton told Jordan Schultz. “Living in Texas has always been a dream of mine. And now I’m with them. I’m ready to work.”
Milton made only one start last year which will live in Patriots infamy. Milton looked good in a week 18 start against the Buffalo Bills throwing completing 22 out of 29 pass attempts for 241 yards. He ran for one touchdown and threw a 48 yard TF pass to Kayshon Boutte. The Patriots ended up defeating the Bills 23-16 and in doing so lost out on the first overall selection in this year’s draft. The win knocked them back from the 1st to 4th overall pick.
