Mike Vrabel squashed any potential drama before it could even fester.
The Patriots’ surprising decision to trade backup quarterback Joe Milton to the Cowboys for a fifth-round draft selection stemmed from Vrabel opting to trade a player who felt he could challenge Drake Maye for the starting job and wanted a fresh start if he could not, according to Masslive.com.
Vrabel, entering his first season running the show in Foxborough, is firmly behind Maye and thus opted to trade Milton ahead of the team’s offseason program beginning Monday.
“Milton, who at 25 is three years older than the Patriots starter, made it clear behind the scenes he no longer wanted to be sitting behind Maye,” the outlet reported. “For Vrabel, who is trying to establish a culture, and trying to set the tone for what’s to come, that attitude didn’t fly.”
The Patriots trading Milton caught some off guard since the 2024 sixth-round pick showed promise in his lone start last season, albeit against the Bills’ backups in the regular-season Week 18 finale.
Milton, 25, completed 22 of 29 passes for 241 yards and one touchdown in a 23-16 upset that cost New England the No. 1 draft pick.
Teams are usually searching for late-round draft picks with upside that they can mold, especially with teams lacking strong quarterback options, and Milton seemed like he may fit that billing.
Yet New England opted to send him and a seventh-round pick to Dallas for a fifth-round selection, which is hardly the definition of an offer a team can’t refuse.
Those who wondered if there was more to the story seemingly were correct.
Milton “fancied himself a starter,” per the report, and he “preferred” to land with another team if he would not have a chance to compete for the starting role.
The Patriots took Maye with the third pick in the 2024 draft and he showed promise amid a terrible season for the Patriots.
“(Milton) also believed he was good enough to give Maye a run, if not overtake him for the top job,” Masslive.com reported.
That the Patriots opted to make this move ahead of the upcoming NFL draft, which will take place from April 24-26, coincided with Vrabel wanting no issues once the offseason program started.
The former Titans coach praised Milton but actually hinted at a trade during the recent AFC coaches breakfast.
New England is instead going with veteran Josh Dobbs as its backup quarterback.
“Yeah, I think Joe 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,” Vrabel said. “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.”
Milton is in Dallas this April 7 but seemingly is not any closer to starting than he would have been in New England, stuck behind entrenched starter Dak Prescott.
The difference is Milton is reportedly “happy” to with the Cowboys since his mother is a longtime fan of the franchise and playing for America’s Team is a “dream” for the quarterback, per the article.
