What Patriots Reportedly Told New Backup QB Before Joe Milton Trade

While the timing of the Patriots’ Joe Milton III trade might have been a bit odd, the transaction itself certainly was not a shocker.

Milton became a textbook trade chip when he shined in New England’s 2024 season finale. However, the writing really was on the wall when the Patriots added to their quarterback room at the outset of NFL free agency. New England signed eight-year veteran Joshua Dobbs, who worked with Mike Vrabel in the past, to a two-year contract.

But before putting pen to paper in Foxboro, Mass., Dobbs reportedly was more or less told Milton wasn’t going to be long for One Patriot Place.

“When Josh Dobbs came here, he wanted to be the primary backup,” Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer said last week on 98.5 The Sports Hub. “When you’re that age you want to know, like, ‘Hey, if I’m gonna sign here, I want a pretty good assurance that I’m going to be on the team in September.’ So they said to him, in no uncertain terms, ‘We don’t want competition in the room for Drake (Maye) right now. What we’re looking for is a resource.’”

It seemingly became clear to both the Patriots and Milton that their partnership wasn’t going to work out. In addition to New England reportedly wanting to keep even a semblance of competition away from Maye, Milton reportedly fancies himself as starter-caliber. While the 2024 sixth-rounder won’t immediately become QB1 for the Cowboys, he certainly has a better chance for playing time in Dallas than he did in New England.

So, could the Patriots have held out and fetched a little bit more in a trade for Milton? Maybe. But New England clearly wanted to avoid distractions ahead of an all-important season, so restructuring the quarterback room before things potentially got messy probably was a shrewd move.