New England’s upset win over the Buffalo Bills bumped the Patriots from the No. 1 overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft down to No. 4. The Week 18 contest also was the last straw for Jerod Mayo, who was promptly replaced by new head coach Mike Vrabel.
Vrabel now is in charge of leading a rebuild in Foxboro, Mass., and that effort could be accelerated by moving a player who had his coming-out party on that Sunday afternoon in early January.
Although he was playing against Buffalo backups who didn’t appear to give maximum effort, Joe Milton III nonetheless made a good impression in his NFL debut. So much so that the rocket-armed quarterback could become a valuable trade chip for the Patriots this offseason.
“I thought the Patriots would hold off on entertaining a trade of Joe Milton, who was drafted in the sixth round (193rd overall) last year, for at least another season, but there’s increasing belief around the NFL that the Patriots are at least contemplating a trade of Milton this offseason,” Boston Sports Journal’s Greg Bedard wrote in a column published last week. “Again, I’m not saying he’s on the block right now, but the Patriots will likely consider it when everything settles with the front office and coaching staff.”
Bedard went on to explain the timing could be right for a Milton trade this spring. The quarterback class in the 2025 draft is not especially strong and there’s a chance the flawed signal-caller won’t have a higher trade stock than he does in wake of his impressive showing against the Bills. “Some league executives” believe the Patriots could acquire a third-round pick in a trade for Milton, per Bedard.
New England might not want to actively shop Milton at this juncture, as teams often can become more desperate for QB help once the summer rolls around. But at the very least, the Patriots absolutely should take every call inquiring about the rookie’s availability.
