There is a real shortage of quarterback talent in the 2025 NFL Draft, with only a handful of standout prospects. That means QB-needy teams are exploring other ways to land a signal-caller. NFL insider Jordan Schultz may have good news for them, as one young quarterback with terrific potential has hit the trade market.
New England Patriots Put High-Upside QB Joe Milton III on Trade Market
New England Patriots fans have plenty to be excited about. Not only does the team have a well-respected head coach in Mike Vrabel, but they’ve also found their quarterback for the future in Drake Maye. New England also signed Josh Dobbs to be the backup, which makes Joe Milton III now available on the trade market.
Milton backed up Maye and shined in his only game of last season, a Week 18 matchup against the Buffalo Bills. He had a strong outing, with 241 yards on just 29 attempts, while adding a deep touchdown pass and a rushing score as well.
According to PFSN’s QB+ metric, Milton earned an 80.8 (B-) grade in his debut, which ranked seventh overall among 31 qualified quarterbacks in Week 18. That was the second-highest QB+ rating of the season for New England and ranked 14th among single-game performances for the Patriots since 2019.
Milton, known for his rocket-like arm strength, drew significant interest from NFL teams after the debut, and Schultz has now revealed that the Patriots have discussed moving him.
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“Sources: The #Patriots have had discussions on trading QB Joe Milton III and would like to trade him to the right situation to continue his development in the NFL — should a deal get done. New England loves Milton, but Drake Maye is their franchise and they just signed Josh Dobbs to a 2-year, $8M contract to be the backup,” he tweeted.
Milton was drafted in the sixth round with the No. 193 overall pick last year alongside Maye, who was taken No. 3 overall. While Maye has outperformed expectations in his first year and has the starting job locked up, the Patriots seem to have landed an extremely valuable trade asset in Milton.
With Milton’s upside and strong first NFL outing, he’s a valuable trade chip in a QB-hungry league, especially with teams like the Tennessee Titans, Cleveland Browns, and New York Giants searching for new quarterbacks.
Milton’s performance against the Bills caught the attention of teams across the NFL. According to NFL personality Steve Palazzolo, the Patriots had received calls from multiple QB-needy teams about their late-round steal. With the Patriots having holes to fill all over their lineup, it’s not a surprise they are open to flipping Milton for the right return.
This is such a non-story. Milton makes minimal money. Even with Dobbs, they can afford to keep him. Unless someone wows them with a draft pick package, he is staying in Foxboro.
The typical people who buy this narrative of trading Milton think things like what I saw a Steelers fan post. “We have a bunch of day three picks, we should just throw them one.”
That makes zero sense, he was a sixth round pick to begin with, the Patriots won’t even pick up the phone for a day three pick.