It wasn't as surprising to see New England Patriots quarterback Joe Milton III get traded as it was seeing the value the team got in return in the deal with the Dallas Cowboys on Thursday.
According to The Athletic's Dianna Russini, the Patriots shipped Milton and a seventh-round draft pick to the Cowboys in exchange for a fifth-round pick.
Granted, it's still a small win for the Patriots when trading a backup quarterback they spent a sixth-round pick on in 2024. But it isn't nearly the return most expected for a player who showed tremendous promise on the field.
Given the lack of top-tier quarterback options in the 2025 NFL draft, most expected the market for Milton to be robust, but that obviously wasn't the case. The Patriots didn't have to rush to move Milton considering he was only entering the second year of his rookie deal.
But the writing seemed like it was already on the wall when they invested two years and $8 million into veteran backup Joshua Dobbs. Still, this deal will hurt if Milton lives up to his potential and overtakes Dak Prescott as the starter in Dallas at some point.
It might be looked back on as a major win for the Cowboys.
With that said, Mass Live's Mark Daniels reported that Milton wanted out of New England to have a better chance to compete for a starting job. That could shed light on the reason why the Patriots would rather move him than allow him to remain as the top backup option for quarterback Drake Maye.
Perhaps the team didn't want another Mac Jones and Bailey Zappe situation in New England. Now, Maye is the runaway starter with no legitimate competition positioned to challenge him for his job.
It still would have been great to see Milton have a chance to develop in Josh McDaniels' offensive system. He might have improved and increased his trade value even more.
The situation is understandable if the reasons given check out, but it's still a move that felt rushed for the Patriots given the return, contract situation and potential talent of the player.
Grade: C
This article originally appeared on Patriots Wire: Instant grade of Patriots trading QB Joe Milton III to Cowboys
