Joe

Milton III

The 2024 sixth-round pick made one appearance as a rookie, taking over for Drake Maye mid-game in a meaningless Week 18 affair. Milton played extremely well in his brief time in the spotlight, throwing for 241 yards and a touchdown while rushing for 16 yards and another score. The Pats signed Joshua Dobbs to a two-year deal in free agency, locking him in as the backup to Maye for 2025. In turn, the team got what it could for Milton and gave him a chance to be a QB2 behind Dak Prescott. With Prescott under contract through 2028, Milton doesn’t have much fantasy value, even in deep dynasty leagues.

Whether the Patriots engage with trade talks remains to be seen. MassLive.com reported sources close to Milton said he “would prefer to be on a roster that best gives him a chance to compete for the starting job.” These aren’t the first reports we’ve seen about Milton, 25, leaving New England after one season. ESPN’s Jeremy Fowlers reported in March that the Cowboys are interested in acquiring Milton — the 193rd pick in the 2024 NFL Draft — as a backup to Dak Prescott. Apparently Milton turned some heads around the NFL with his Week 18 start against the Bills last January. He completed 22 of 29 attempts for 241 yards and a touchdown while rushing for 16 yards and another score. Milton had the eighth highest drop back EPA of Week 18 out of 33 qualifying QBs; he posted the week’s third best completion rate over expected. The big-armed Milton threw for more than 2,800 yards and 20 touchdowns in his final collegiate season at Tennessee before being drafted by New England.

Doing a hit on NFL Live, Fowler said the Cowboys may not get a young backup quarterback with upside in the draft, so they might be interested in pursuing a trade. This is exactly how the Cowboys found themselves in the Trey Lance business, and with only Will Grier behind Dak Prescott after Cooper Rush joined the Ravens, the need is certainly there for Dallas. Milton has been the subject of trade rumors all offseason after his fabulous Week 18 game where he led the Patriots out of the No. 1 overall pick in the draft. With three years of team control left, the Patriots probably are in no rush to deal Milton unless they can get a Day 2 pick out of it.

Schultz notes that the Pats want to trade him to a situation where he can continue to develop. He said the team should be able to get a deal done. New England has agreed to terms with Josh Dobbs on a two-year, $8 million contract. That takes care of the backup gig and leaves Milton without much of a role on the team. The Pats almost certainly signed Dobbs knowing Milton would be traded down the road. The cannon-armed quarterback played the bulk of New England’s Week 18 finale last year and threw for 241 yards plus a touchdown. He also rushed for a touchdown. Milton remains a developmental option, but he has the physical tools of a starting quarterback. Staring down a weak free agent crop and an underwhelming draft class, someone will take a shot on Milton this offseason.

Now on the wrong side of 30, Dobbs arrives as Jacoby Brissett’s replacement to be Drake Maye’s caddy. We would assume Dobbs wins the backup job over second-year pro Joe Milton. Although overexposed as as a multi-week starter, Dobbs’ dual-threat game has an “any given Sunday” element to it. You have a chance. Just not if you need to start him for two months. Considering Maye’s propensity to take mammoth rookie hits, Dobbs has fairly decent odds of seeing 2025 playing time, but hopefully not.

“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,” Bedard writes. Milton, who had an unbelievable debut against the Bills in Week 18 that featured several ridiculous throws, may have Matt Flynned himself into a quarterback-needy team’s plans for 2025. “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 adds. Milton III could be an intriguing, low-cost move for a team with quarterback needs that is up against the cap, like the Browns or Saints.

With the Patriots having no incentive to win this game, they opted to play Drake Maye only one series and let Milton make his NFL debut and play the remainder of the game. The rookie out of Tennessee looked tremendous, albeit against backup defenders for the Bills. The 24-year-old showed great pocket awareness, impressive arm strength, and far better ball placement than he had displayed in college. It was the type of performance that could give him an inside shot at the backup job in New England for next season; however, the performance also cost the Patriots the number one overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft, which is a major blow to the franchise.

Gonzalez and Henry are both dealing with injuries and will miss the season’s final game. The Bills will be resting many of their top offensive playmakers, so the loss of Gonzalez shouldn’t be a huge issue on Sunday. One name not listed here is Joe Milton, who is active on Sunday and could see additional reps if the team wants to limit Drake Maye’s potential injury risk. A loss for the Patriots would secure them the top pick in the NFL draft, so there’s some thought that seeing what Milton looks like for the majority of this game could be of interest to them this weekend.

Both Osborn and Thornton are healthy scratches and are rumored to be trade candidates ahead of Tuesday’s deadline. That should mean more snaps/potential targets for Ja’Lynn Polk and Javon Baker, but the New England passing game is one to avoid right now.

The Patriots’ front-seven is down three starters at this point. It’s an unideal situation facing the 49ers’ vaunted rushing attack. The 49ers’ pass rush should also effectively generate pressure against the Patriots’ problematic offensive line.