The Cowboys pulled off a fascinating trade on Thursday when they sent a fifth-seventh round pick swap to the Patriots for reserve quarterback Joe Milton. It fills a need for the Cowboys, who lost both of the backup quarterbacks from the previous two seasons, Cooper Rush and Trey Lance, in free agency and were without a No. 2 behind Dak Prescott.
It is a bit risky to have Milton in that role. He was a strong-armed but somewhat wild sixth-round pick out of Tennessee in 2023, who had shown enough promise to warrant plenty of interest in him this offseason. The Patriots made it clear they intended to trade Milton after they signed backup quarterback Josh Dobbs to be the QB2 behind Drake Maye.
Milton, at age 25, made one appearance in 2024, and it’s one most Patriots fans would prefer to forget. Milton was 22-for-29 passing in filling in for Maye when he was injured in Week 18, throwing for 241 yards and leading an improbable, 23-16, win over the Bills. That win cost the Patriots the No. 1 overall pick in the draft.
But it also cemented Milton as a legitimate prospect at quarterback.
Cowboys Won Joe Milton Sweepstakes
According to Fox’s Jordan Schultz, in fact, Milton had plenty of suitors this offseason. In fact, the Patriots had offers that topped what the Cowboys gave up, he wrote on Twitter/X, but Milton wanted to go to Dallas more than anywhere else, so the Patriots made it happen.
Wrote Schultz: “My understanding is since Joe Milton became available at the start of the offseason, teams that showed interest included the Raiders, Eagles, Giants, Steelers and the Cowboys. The #Patriots had a better offer for Milton but chose to send him where he wanted out of respect for him, per source.”
That has raised the immediate question around the NFL: Why would Milton want to go to Dallas? A team like the Eagles offers a chance to go to the Super Bowl. Teams like the Giants and Steelers have no established starter going forward and would seem to give Milton the best chance at playing sooner rather than later.
But the Cowboys are entering only Year 2 of a four-year contract with Prescott. And they’re not a a championship team. Why go to a franchise that is not built to win now and does not have an opportunity to play?
Dak Prescott on the Move?
Former Eagles star LeSean McCoy thinks he knows why–and he was met with similar sentiments in the wake of the trade. It’s because the Cowboys may not plan to keep Prescott around for much longer.
“I’ll be honest, man, listen,” McCoy said on FS1’s “The Facility.” “If Dak Prescott has a postseason like he has always had, onto next year, Dak, find a realtor. Because Joe Milton got talent and can play. … I’ve seen quarterbacks get paid a lot of money and they move on from them.”
It would not be easy to move on from Prescott’s money, but it is possible. He does, however have a no-trade clause that would make a deal very difficult. Prescott has been a massive disappointment in the playoffs in his career, with a 2-5 postseason record, and if the Cowboys are good enough to reach the playoffs and get bounced again, Prescott’s Dallas future could, indeed, be in jeopardy.
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