Often, it’s the Dallas Cowboys who find themselves in the guillotine after pulling off a head-scratching trade. Whether it’s Trey Lance for a fourth-round pick or Jonathan Mingo also for a fourth-round pick, the Cowboys are synonymous with baffling their fans by giving away too much and getting peanuts in return. But not with Joe Milton III. This time, it was the Patriots who bemused their fans by trading Milton and a 2025 7th-round pick for the Cowboys 5th-round pick. No doubt it looks like a questionable trade, but there’s a reason why this happened.
As per Mass Live’s Karen Guregian, her sources in Foxborough led her to believe “Milton fancied himself a starter. He didn’t see himself being given a legitimate chance to compete with Drake Maye. He also believes he was good enough to give Maye a run. If not, overtake him for the top job.” See, from the moment Maye was picked as the 3rd overall in last year’s draft, the Patriots knew whom they wanted as the face of their franchise. Yes, they tried to test the veteran route through Jacoby Brissett, but when it didn’t come through, Maye ultimately took over.
Yeah, he may not have wowed the Foxborough with his QB plays. But the Patriots saw enough to anoint him as their undisputed starter. So, in week 18, when the Patriots had nothing to play for against the Bills. They decided to bench Maye and give Milton his first start after picking him in the sixth round. And boy, the Tennessee product made the most of that opportunity. He put some jaw-dropping arm talent and athleticism on display that led the Patriots to an unlikely 23-16 win. As for Milton, he completed 22 of his 29 passes for 241 yards and two TDs (1 on the air and 1 on the ground).
So, obviously, after showing the Pats what he is capable of. Milton wasn’t going to be satisfied playing as a backup to Maye. Seeing how the 25-year-old turn heads in his only start last season, Maye wasn’t at all pleased. The Boston Globe’s Ben Volin revealed, “Maye didn’t look too pleased about giving up the Week 18 game to Milton, leaving the locker room without speaking to reporters and then skipping locker room cleanout day.” With Maye clearly upset, or you could say scared, with Milton’s burning desire to start in his place, the Pats didn’t want to hamper Maye’s confidence.
They shipped him off to Dallas while Mike Vrabel sent a clear message to the rest of his locker room. Something he had been already talking about a lot since being given the keys to Foxborough.
Joe Milton served as an example of what Vrabel doesn’t want in New England
Milton’s hunger to be a starter didn’t coincide with Vrabel’s way of thinking. Karen Guregian added to her report, “Milton..made it clear behind the scenes he no longer wanted to be sitting behind Maye. For Vrabel, who is trying to establish a culture, and trying to set the tone for what’s to come, that attitude didn’t fly.” That’s why Milton was trading away before the Patriots kicked off their offseason program on April 7th. Vrabel has previously made it clear he only wants players whose desire is to play for New England. Those who buy into his program. And Milton clearly didn’t match those criteria.
Getting rid of Milton means the Patriots now have only Maye and Joshua Dobbs in their QB room. Dobbs may not have that wow factor like Milton. But he could serve as a competent backup to Maye. This will be Dobbs’ ninth team in the NFL since entering the league in 2017 with the Steelers. And considering the timing of the Patriots moving on from Milton. The idea of them drafting a QB in Wisconsin cannot be a fluke.
They might look at the prospect of signing Alabama’s Jalen Milroe, Louisville’s Tyler Shough, Texas’ Quinn Ewers and also Notre Dame’s Riley Leonard. ESPN’s Jordan Reid also said in his latest NFL draft report, “Leonard as a late-round dart throw fits the Patriots a ton.” So, it’s totally up to Vrabel now. Does he want to get a rookie from the draft to bring in some healthy competition to Maye, or does he keep the QB room like it is now? We will find out soon, once the 2025 NFL draft commences on April 24th.
The post True Reason Behind Patriots Dumping Joe Milton to Cowboys Revealed as Mike Vrabel Sends Clear Message on Ousted QB appeared first on EssentiallySports.