The New England Patriots are all in to begin their next chapter with franchise quarterback Drake Maye under center.
Knowing the future of the franchise rests on Maye’s arm, New England reshuffled the quarterback room by signing veteran signal-caller Joshua Dobbs and shipping last year’s sixth-round pick, Joe Milton III, to the Dallas Cowboys.
Even though Milton admitted he was surprised by the trade, he considered the move a blessing.
“Coming here was a blessing,” Milton told reporters on Thursday, per team-provided video. “I didn’t know it was going to be here. My agent said it was multiple teams that called, so I didn’t know where I was going to end up.”
With Dallas as his landing spot, Milton will have the opportunity to learn from one of the league’s best quarterbacks — Dak Prescott. But sitting behind Prescott is not the only reason Milton was thrilled with the opportunity to be a part of the Cowboys organization.
“Back in the heat for one. They allowed me to play in the Dome for two,” Milton said. “For three, it’s America’s team. Also, it’s great to learn from somebody like that.”
Not wanting to take anything away from Maye, Milton acknowledged the difference between playing behind a rookie compared to a veteran like Prescott.
“I feel like I can learn something, and when I say that, Dak, he played more football than I have,” he explained. “He’s been in the NFL longer, so I feel like I can learn something from the aspect of (being) a quarterback overall because he’s seen a lot. He’s been through a lot. So, just being able to figure out the whole quarterback position as a whole.”
The Patriots defeated the Buffalo Bills, 23-16, last season with Milton under center. He completed 22 of 29 attempted passes for 241 yards and one touchdown. Even though the game earned him a 111.4 passer rating, the 25-year-old Florida native believes he has much more to show.
“I don’t think I showed nothing for real,” he said. “I think I was just out there having fun. Me personally, I feel like it was just doing what the play call wanted me to do, and that was just executing plays.
“There were some plays where I extended plays, but at the end of the day, I was just doing what I knew how to do and what (Alex Van Pelt) wanted.”
