Joe Milton III has only played one game during his NFL career but it's clear he turned a lot of heads by guiding the Patriots to a late-season win over the Bulls. It's equally clear that New England is ready to cash in on their young quarterback via a trade.
Drake Maye is firmly entrenched as the team's quarterback of both the present and future. Milton was never going to be able to change that during the offseason. If he was going to stick with the Patriots, it was only going to be as Maye's backup.
That's what makes the team's decision to sign Josh Dobbs to a two-year contract so telling. He's a classic backup quarterback signing for a team that can use a mentor for Maye in meetings. New England is not going to keep three quarterbacks on the roster next season. It's easy to surmise that Milton will be the odd man out.
Patriots set up to sell high on Joe Milton
That does not mean the Patriots believe Dobbs is better than Milton. The more likely thought process in New England is that now is the time to sell high on Milton after he flashed in his start against Buffalo. The free agent quarterback market has predictably dried up in a hurry. Teams picking at the top of hte draft seem hesitant to cast their lots with either Cam Ward or Sheduer Sanders. That leaves Milton as an intriguing option for teams that want to bring in a signal-caller worthy of challenging for a starting job in 2025.
The Patriots only spent a sixth-round pick to acquire Milton so it will be easy for them to profit on him via a trade. The question decision-makers in New England need to answer is just how much they can reasonably expect to receive in a trade for their talented young quarterback.
They should set their asking price based on the potential value Milton can provide another team. As a late-round draft pick, he's exceedingly cheap for a player who has any chance of developing into a starter at the game's most important position. At the very least, the Patriots should be asking for a third-round pick if they're going to part with Milton's services.
Fans in New England should hope they already have a Milton deal lined up. They've lost all leverage by signing Dobbs to deal with guaranteed money to be their backup. Teams can clearly see they're ready to offload the strong-armed passer. Time will tell what they can get back in exchange for Milton.