The Patriots weren’t under any obligation to trade Joe Milton this offseason. The second-year quarterback still had three seasons remaining on his rookie deal, holding a relatively small base salary ($960,000) for the 2025 season.
Yet, the Patriots opted to trade Milton on Thursday. They shipped the backup quarterback to the Cowboys for a fifth-round pick in the 2025 NFL Draft while also surrendering a seventh-round pick in the process.
The return the Patriots got might seem underwhelming to some, with a handful of analysts criticizing the move and wondering why they didn’t wait to potentially build up Milton’s value even more.