In one of the rare, fun-to-watch moments of the New England Patriots season, practice squad quarterback Joe Milton III was elevated to the roster for the Week 18 game against the Buffalo Bills — and Milton proceeded to put on a show. He threw for a touchdown, ran for another and had a third taken away by a penalty call.
But it was the six-foot-five, 246 pound Milton’s elite athleticism and rocket arm — at one point he threw the second-fastest pass (61.7 mph) ever recorded in the NFL — that turned Milton overnight from a third-stringer who was picked 193rd in the 2024 draft to one of the most talked-about trade commodities in the NFL.
The Patriots reportedly received “multiple inquiries” about what it would take to acquire him.
Finally, on April 3, the Dallas Cowboys became the team to pull the trigger on a Milton, sending the 171st pick in the draft to New England for Milton and the 217th pick.
Damaging Leaks About Milton’s Character Since Trade
Since the trade, however, it seems as if reporters who cover the Patriots have had little good to say about Milton. Tom E. Curran of NBC Sports Boston accused Milton of “entitlement” for reportedly believing that he should be allowed to compete with first-round pick (No. 3 overall) Drake Maye for the starter’s job.
Then, on Friday, another longtime New England reporter, Greg Bedard of Boston Sports Journal, reported on his podcast that he had been told by a source within the Patriots organization that Milton was “not a good dude”, and risked upsetting the chemistry of the quarterback room if he was not shipped out.
Later that same day, Bedard’s report received some pushback, sort of, from NFL Network Patriots analyst Mike Giardi, who said on WEEI Radio that Milton was simply, “immature.” At the same time, he suggested that Milton could still be a “problem” for the Cowboys.
Giardi was asked if he believed Milton was “not a good dude.”
“I never got that experience with him or had that experience with him,” Giardi replied. “My thing about Joe, and I think it’s one of the reasons why Joe ended up going in the sixth round … is that Joe’s very immature. I think the immaturity could be at times maybe confused with not being a good guy.”
However, Giardi went on to say, “I think in his first year, (Milton) didn’t necessarily get some of the teachings that they wanted him to put forth on the field. Like don’t be a pain in the a**. That’s always a good lesson to start with. But, you know, hey, what can you what can you do? He’s Dallas’s problem.”
Both Cowboys and Patriots Got Results From Milton Deal
The way the season unfolds, of course, will determine whether Milton turns out to be a “problem.” With his high level of physical ability, Milton’s upside appears considerable, and the trade had another benefit for Dallas.
In addition to Milton — on the second year of his four-year, $4.2 million rookie contract —the Cowboys received pick No. 217, which they used on 342-pound UCLA defensive lineman Jay Toia, who was described by ESPN draft expert Field Yates as “one of the best run defenders” in the draft.
But the Patriots also made out well in the deal.
Through a series of trades, New England parlayed the 171st pick they received from Dallas into three draft picks.
They used them to upgrade their special teams, taking Miami’s Andres Borregales, considered the best placekicker in the draft, long snapper Julian Ashby out of Vanderbilt, also considered the best available player at his specialized position, and a developmental cornerback in Kobee Minor from Memphis.
