While Drake Maye is the New England Patriots’ franchise quarterback, Joe Milton III sits behind him in the pecking order with a rocket for an arm and a lot of intriguing intangibles.
For other teams across the league who are desperate for a quarterback, they may find the Patriots shopping Milton around while they invest in Maye’s future.
“What I reported at the Senior Bowl, and it’s not exactly like a breaking news sounder or something like that, but the chatter from the All-Star circuit, whether it’s the East-West and also the Senior Bowl, was that the Patriots are toying with the idea of making Joe Milton available,” Greg A. Bedard of the Boston Sports Journal reported Tuesday.
“I’m sure they’re taking calls if people do call,” Bedard added. “I think it would be wise.”
Maye was drafted third overall in the 2024 NFL Draft by the Patriots; they added Milton to the quarterback room in the sixth round.
Prior to the NFL, Milton spent three seasons at Michigan and three at Tennessee. He never tapped into his potential with the Wolverines, throwing five touchdowns and six interceptions in his time in Ann Arbor, before blossoming with the Volunteers and throwing 32 touchdowns to just five interceptions.
Milton’s college career was defined by his bazooka of an arm. Pairing that with his size — he stands at 6-foot-5 and 246 pounds — and athleticism, there have been high hopes for Milton for years.
He received his lone opportunity for New England in Week 18 against the Buffalo Bills and made the most of it.
Milton went 22-for-29 passing for 241 yards, a touchdown and no interceptions, while also adding a rushing score. The flashes he showed en route to the Patriots’ win certainly opened some eyes.
Even Patriots owner Robert Kraft was impressed.
“It looks like we lucked out,” Kraft said. “We maybe have two quarterbacks.”
Milton’s trade value may not get any higher as he likely won’t see much more playing time to further prove himself, and he isn’t getting any younger.
Milton turns 25 on Mar. 6, and the one-game sample size paired with his intriguing upside could be enough for a team to want to pull the trigger on a deal to acquire him — and New England may fancy the idea.
