Sometimes the biggest NFL stories don’t come wrapped in blockbuster headlines. 

Case in point: the recent trade between the New England Patriots and the Dallas Cowboys involving quarterback Joe Milton III. On paper, it might look like a throwaway exchange — a 2025 seventh-round pick and a relatively unproven QB heading to Dallas in return for a fifth-round pick. But if you dig a little deeper, you’ll see there’s far more here than meets the eye.

For those who might’ve missed the transaction, here’s the quick breakdown: New England shipped quarterback Joe Milton III and a 2025 7th-rounder (#217 overall) to Dallas in exchange for a 2025 5th-round selection (#171). No one’s calling this a blockbuster, but the upside on Milton is huge, and the price Dallas paid is peanuts compared to what a raw-but-promising QB typically costs in today’s market.

Why does this matter? Because Milton has that intangible “it” factor that teams are constantly scrambling to find — an electric arm, a formidable body that screams "franchise QB," and a flair for big plays when things click. The Patriots might be second-guessing themselves down the line, especially if we see a repeat of the “Dak vs. Romo” scenario: an under-the-radar quarterback emerging as a legitimate star.

Milton’s Lone Start: A Legit NFL Performance

One of the biggest things fueling Milton’s hype was his lone start last season for the Patriots in Week 18 against the Buffalo Bills, a playoff-caliber team that rarely lets QBs off the hook. In that game, Milton wasn’t just serviceable — he was downright impressive. Going 22-of-29 for 241 yards, with a touchdown pass and zero interceptions, he looked poised and in command. Add 16 rushing yards and a touchdown on the ground, and you’ve got a recipe for a potential breakout.

If you’re into advanced stats, you’ll love this: Milton was 7th in QBR that week (73.9) and 8th in EPA per dropback (+0.23). Not to geek out too much, but that’s high praise for a kid many wrote off as a gimmick quarterback because of his college days in a somewhat simplified Tennessee offense. 

Pro Football Focus was even more enthusiastic, slapping him with a 95.8 grade — the highest for a Patriots QB since that Tom Brady guy was taking the snaps. Lofty company, indeed.

Built Like a Franchise QB

To understand the hype around Milton, you’ve got to look at his physical profile and draft pedigree — though maybe “pedigree” is the wrong word, since he was selected in the sixth round (Pick 193) by the Patriots. 

Standing at 6-foot-5, 235 pounds, with 10¼-inch hands, this guy practically checks all the boxes NFL scouts drool over. His 40-yard dash time was a respectable 4.63 seconds, he posted a 35-inch vertical, and launched a broad jump of 10 feet, 1 inch.

But the real show-stopper? A 62 MPH throw velocity at the Combine, the fastest among all QBs that year. In an era where arm strength can overshadow everything else, that number alone was enough to turn heads.

So, why did he slip to the sixth round? The standard concerns: inconsistent mechanics, occasional accuracy hiccups, and a Tennessee offense built around screens and RPOs that didn’t require multiple reads. Let’s not forget that Anthony Richardson came out of Florida with a similar scouting report (crazy athletic, raw, huge arm) but still went 4th overall to the Colts. Milton, by contrast, never got that same hype, and landed in New England with a lot less fanfare.

Selling Low on Sky-High Potential

In New England, Milton found himself parked behind two other QBs: Drake Maye, who the Patriots see as their next big thing, and the dependable Josh Dobbs. For better or worse, Mike Vrabel & Co. decided there wasn’t room for a developmental prospect with a rocket arm — at least not if they could flip him for a mid-round pick.

The result sent Milton, plus a seventh-rounder in 2025, packing for a fifth-rounder. Patriots fans, predictably, had questions. Let’s not forget that the Patriots have parted ways with talented QBs before — Jimmy Garoppolo comes to mind — only to see them flourish elsewhere. For a franchise that once famously had Brady on the bench behind Bledsoe, you’d think they’d be cautious about shipping off a promising young signal-caller.

The Cowboys’ Bet: A Different Kind of Backup

On the flip side, the Dallas Cowboys just upgraded their depth chart at quarterback in a big way. Cooper Rush left for Baltimore, and while Rush had a surprisingly solid run in 2022, going 5–1 as a starter, the consensus was that he had a pretty low ceiling. He managed the offense, made few mistakes, and played conservatively enough to keep the Cowboys in games. That’s fine. But Milton? He offers so much more upside.

We all know Dak Prescott’s track record. He’s been a Pro Bowl-level QB but has also dealt with some tough injuries — most notably the broken ankle in 2020 and a fractured thumb that sidelined him in 2022. If Dak misses time again, Milton could step in, and there’s a chance he won’t just fill the spot — he might light it up.

Of course, every silver lining has a bit of cloud around it. If Milton goes off for the Cowboys, the media in Dallas, which already loves a good quarterback controversy, will be in hog heaven. We’ve seen how that plays out — if you have any doubts, just revisit the Tony Romo to Dak Prescott transition. Or, for that matter, the breathless coverage of every minor QB storyline in that city. It’s practically tradition.

The Cowboys QB Legacy: History Repeats Itself?

The funny thing about the Cowboys is that they seem to stumble onto quarterbacks who weren’t exactly pegged for stardom but wind up taking over anyway. Dak was a fourth-rounder who only got his shot because of Romo’s injury. Romo himself was an undrafted free agent once upon a time who sat behind Drew Bledsoe until he was forced onto the field.

That’s why folks like LeSean McCoy are stirring the pot on national TV: 

“All it takes is a couple of good games, like Cooper Rush had. But you put talent on it, you put swag on it, now you're making 20, 30-yard runs, you're coming out of sacks, you're throwing deep passes — now the fans start to, ‘Okay… who’s this dude?’”

It’s a bold statement, sure, but in Dallas, it doesn’t feel that far-fetched. Add in the fact that Dak’s contract makes him nearly impossible to move if things go sideways, and you’ve got the perfect recipe for a year’s worth of sports talk radio fodder.

Is it fair to label Milton as some unstoppable force lurking behind Dak? Maybe not just yet. But we know how these narratives form: if you’ve got a big arm and some swagger, and you play in a high-profile city like Dallas, you’re going to get attention — whether you’ve earned it or not.

What This Means for Milton’s Future

In some ways, this is an ideal landing spot for Milton. The Cowboys have a solid offensive line, a top-tier receiving corps, and a defense that can help win games. That means if Milton does see the field, he won’t have to do everything by himself. For a young quarterback trying to prove he can handle the NFL stage, that’s a pretty sweet situation.

The downside? He could end up glued to the bench, seeing only garbage-time reps while the team hopes Dak stays healthy. In the NFL, quarterbacks get labeled quickly, and once you’re branded as a “backup,” it’s tough to change that perception. Talents like Tyrod Taylor, Jacoby Brissett, and even Jordan Love (until recently) had to wait years for a real shot, and some never truly got it.

Milton’s in that gray area right now, teetering between being “the next big thing” and “just another guy holding a clipboard.” The good news is that we’ve already seen glimpses of what he can do, and by all accounts, he’s been making strides in his mental approach to the game. 

That’s what it takes to succeed under center: not just athletic tools, but the brainpower to read defenses and the leadership to command a huddle.