The Patriots are moving on from Milton in a draft pick swap.
The writing had been on the wall, and on Thursday it finally happened. Joe Milton, the New England Patriots’ second-year backup quarterback, has been traded. The team sent the 25-year-old and a seventh-round draft choice to the Dallas Cowboys for a fifth-round selection.
Let’s grade it.
Instant grade: Patriots trade Joe Milton to Cowboys
Bernd Buchmasser: Milton not playing out his rookie contract with the Patriots was always the most likely outcome, and a move happening after only one season also seemed like a realistic option. The question is whether or not holding onto him for a bit longer would have resulted in a better return, but at the end of the day you cannot fault the team for striking the iron while it was at least moderately hot. | Grade: C
Matt St. Jean: The Patriots are getting back a slight return on their investment in Milton last year. With the soon-to-be 26-year-old QB seeming uninterested in buying into a backup role behind Maye, moving on for culture reasons seems to be the right move. | Grade: C
Pat Lane: I understand why the Patriots wanted to move on from Milton. He’s a charismatic guy who believes that he deserves a shot to start, and the Patriots have their stud QB of the future ahead of him already. It still feels like they could have gotten a little more for him. Ultimately, in a perfect world, he would have never played another snap for the Patriots, so it was the right decision to move on; the only question here is the compensation and the timing. | Grade: C
With Milton off to the Cowboys, the Patriots have two quarterbacks remaining on their 90-man offseason roster. Undisputed starter Drake Maye is being joined by veteran free agency signing Joshua Dobbs.
What do you think about the trade, though? Do you like it? Do you not? Please head to the comment section to discuss.