Patriots Urged to Make Odd QB Swap

The New England Patriots are being urged to make a very strange quarterback move this NFL offseason.

Feb 1, 2025; Orlando, FL, USA; Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Russell Wilson (3) during AFC Practice for the Pro Bowl Games at Camping World Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

The New England Patriots clearly have their quarterback of the future in Drake Maye. Or at least they are operating under that assumption heading into 2025.

Maye will obviously be the Patriots' starter next season. That isn't a question. But New England's backup could be up in the air.

This past year, it was Joe Milton III, who started New England's regular-season finale and played so well that he became a popular name in trade speculation.

Well, Jonathan Vankin of Heavy.com is predicting that the Pats will trade Milton to the Pittsburgh Steelers, and then he thinks the Patriots will replace Milton with a very odd candidate: Russell Wilson.

"Wilson will be a free agent coming off a one-year, $1.2 million contract," Vankin wrote. "The veteran could be signed inexpensively, and if he chose to accept the role, would serve as a veteran mentor to Maye as the Patriots look to rebuild after back-to-back 4-13 seasons."

The chances of Wilson signing on to be a backup seem slim to none at this point.

While the 36-year-old is clearly not the player he was from his Seattle Seahawks days, he did just make the Pro Bowl (even if his stat line wasn't really deserving), and it's not like he's completely cooked. He can still play, and there may be a desperate, quarterback-needy team out there willing to give him a shot at starting next season.

New England would not be able to provide him with that opportunity, and it just seems hard to imagine Wilson being comfortable with accepting a job as a mentor for a team with whom he has had no association throughout his NFL career (other than a Super Bowl loss).

The Pats may trade Milton, which would cause them to look for a new backup signal-caller. But they almost certainly aren't signing Wilson.

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