NFL insiders reveal 'smoking gun' in Patriots Joe Milton trade to Cowboys

The Dallas Cowboys took the league by surprise last week when they traded a fifth-round pick to the New England Patriots for in exchange for quarterback Joe Milton and a seventh-round pick.

In one sense, it was surprising due to the fact that the Cowboys had been looking hard at drafting a backup quarterback after the loss of Cooper Rush. However, it was far more surprising that the Patriots moved on so quickly from Milton, who just wrapped up his rookie season.

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However, according to New England Patriots insider Phil Perry, it had more to do with Milton's desire to unseat Drake Maye as the starter.

“Josh Dobbs and Joe Milton weren’t necessarily fighting for a roster spot,” Perry said. "To me, the smoking gun is the timing of this, and the swiftness and just the firmness of the decision, which is, ‘We’re just not gonna deal with people walking around talking about themselves like they should be the starting quarterback when we have a young player that we believe in.’ That, to me, is really more the issue.”

New England Patriots quarterback Joe Milton III looks to pass the ball against the Buffalo Bills in the second half at Gillette Stadium | David Butler II-Imagn Images

Perry's colleague and fellow Patriots insider Tom E. Curran took that narrative a step further, explaining that , Milton's motivation comes largely two separate factors - his age and his season finale performance against the Buffalo Bills.

In that game, Milton completed 22-of-29 passes for 241 yards and a touchdown, while rushing for another score in a 23-16 win. As a result, he reportedly believed he should have had a chance to unseat Maye as the starter.

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"From what we understood, it was more about Milton's comfort level and self-perception relative to Maye," Curran said. "He felt that as an older player than Drake Maye (Milton is 25; Maye is 22), he didn't think that the disparity was that great between the two individuals. And he felt because of the final game of the season (against the Bills), it seems, that, 'Hey man, maybe I should be getting a crack here.'"

In other words, what both Curran and Perry are indicating here is that the Patriots did not want to foster that kind of competition within their locker room. Instead, opting to go with the veteran presence of Josh Dobbs, who will likely never unseat Maye as the starter.

Certainly an interesting approach to take for a franchise that hasn't had a winning season since 2021.

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