The Cowboys acquired Milton and a 2025 seventh-round pick from the Patriots on Thursday in exchange for a 2025 fifth-round pick, Dianna Russini of The Athletic reports. A 2024 sixth-round pick, Milton spent most of his rookie season behind Jacoby Brissett and Drake Maye on the depth chart but got the chance to play extended snaps in a win over the Bills in Week 18, when he completed 22 of 29 pass attempts for 241 yards and a touchdown to go with 16 yards and a touchdown on 10 carries. After the Patriots let Brissett walk in free agency before bringing in a more experienced backup option in Joshua Dobbs to serve as Maye's backup in 2025, Milton will be moved to Dallas, where he'll serve as the No. 2 quarterback behind Dak Prescott (hamstring).
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The Cowboys acquired Milton and a 2025 seventh-round pick from the Patriots on Thursday in exchange for a 2025 fifth-round pick, Dianna Russini of The Athletic reports. A 2024 sixth-round pick, Milton spent most of his rookie season behind Jacoby Brissett and Drake Maye on the depth chart but got the chance to play extended snaps in a win over the Bills in Week 18, when he completed 22 of 29 pass attempts for 241 yards and a touchdown to go with 16 yards and a touchdown on 10 carries. After the Patriots let Brissett walk in free agency before bringing in a more experienced backup option in Joshua Dobbs to serve as Maye's backup in 2025, Milton will be moved to Dallas, where he'll serve as the No. 2 quarterback behind Dak Prescott (hamstring).
The Patriots have discussed trading Milton and would like to send him to the right situation to continue his development, Jordan Schultz of Fox Sports reports. Milton was drafted by the Jerod Mayo and Alex Van Pelt regime in New England last year, and both coaches have since been fired. On Monday, the Patriots signed Joshua Dobbs to serve as Drake Maye's veteran backup, leaving Milton the odd man out in New England. Milton saw extensive action in Week 18 last season and completed 22 of 29 passes for 241 yards and one touchdown. He rushed 10 times for 16 yards and an additional score, leading the Patriots to an upset win over the Bills and knocking New England out of the No. 1 pick in the 2025 Draft. Milton has loads of upside and a rocket arm and could probably fetch a mid-round pick.
Milton completed 22 of 29 passes for 241 yards and a touchdown while adding 16 rushing yards and a TD on 10 carries in Sunday's 23-16 win over the Bills. With nothing on the line for either team, Drake Maye played the first series before exiting the game and handing the offense over to Milton, who was making his NFL debut. The 2024 sixth-round pick looked good, albeit against a Buffalo defense resting a lot of key personnel, and he ran in a one-yard touchdown in the first quarter before connecting with Kayshon Boutte (head) on a 48-yard score in the second after Milton flashed some impressive elusiveness against the Bills' pass rush. While there are still questions about whether Milton's throwing mechanics and accuracy issues will allow him to succeed in the NFL, his athleticism should keep him in New England as a backup to Maye in 2025.
Milton is listed as active for Sunday's game versus the Bills. As is starter Drake Maye, as well as veteran backup Jacoby Brissett. However, Milton, who has been serving as the Patriots' No. 3 emergency quarterback, could potentially enter the team's season finale at some point in order to have him log some snaps to see how he looks, with an eye toward assessing whether he might be a viable No. 2 option behind Maye in 2025, per Mike Reiss of ESPN.
Milton is inactive for Sunday's game against the Bengals. Though Milton made the Patriots' 53-man roster, he remains the team's clear-cut No. 3 option at QB. He thus figures to be a regular scratch as long as both Jacoby Brissett and Drake Maye are healthy.
Milton completed four of six passes for 54 yards and a touchdown and added five rushes for 22 yards in the Patriots' 17-3 preseason win over the Panthers on Thursday. Milton entered the game with 4:01 remaining in the third quarter and got off on the right foot with a five-yard completion to fellow rookie Javon Baker. Milton went on to record a memorable 12-yard scramble during that initial possession before capping off his second drive with a 38-yard touchdown pass to JaQuae Jackson at the 9:00 minute mark of the fourth quarter. Milton is battling incumbent Bailey Zappe, who was solid in his own right Thursday while throwing for 108 yards, for the No. 3 quarterback job. Nevertheless, Milton at least makes the competition a bit more intriguing with this debut effort, and the rookie sixth-round pick could certainly get a more extensive platform to make his case in the Patriots' second preseason game next Thursday night against the Eagles.