The Dallas Cowboys are acquiring quarterback Joe Milton and a 7th round pick from the New England Patriots in exchange for a 5th round selection the club announced Thursday.
Milton had been on the trade block for much of the offseason following a Week 18 performance where he completed 22 of 29 passes (75.9%) for 241 yards and a touchdown, while adding 16 rush yards with a TD on the ground.
New England had reportedly been looking for a mid round pick in exchange for the former 2024 6th rounder, but began to soften that ask over the last few weeks following a lukewarm response from the other clubs.
With sophomore QB Drake Maye firmly entrenched as the starter, and veteran Joshua Dobbs signed to a 2 year, $8M deal as a backup, Milton became expendable in Foxborough. The intent is for him to now serve as Dak Prescott’s backup in Dallas following the departure of Cooper Rush, who is now a member of the Baltimore Ravens QB room.
“Yeah, I think Joe’s did everything that they asked him to do last year. Sounds like in conversations that he worked extremely hard, and that’s tough when you’re a quarterback,” new head coach Mike Vrabel told reporters on Monday. “Everybody wants to play. Everybody wants to be the starter, everybody and that’s great to have that attitude. And he was ready for his opportunity there late in the season, which I commend him on, just like I would any player that sat there and went through a long season, a difficult season, and then got the opportunity, went out, won a football game, played well, helped his team win.”
“And then where that leads to, we’ll see as the draft approaches, or where Joe is on April 7 to start our offseason program. But you have to give Joe credit for being ready to go, going from the third quarterback to being able to win that football game and stay ready and stay hungry.”
In picking up an additional fifth-round pick, the Patriots get another dart throw to address their various roster needs. There are also several late-round quarterback prospects who could be of interest including Riley Leonard (Notre Dame), Will Howard (Ohio State), and Kurtis Rourke (Indiana).
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