The New England Patriots have received multiple trade inquiries on quarterback Joe Milton, MassLive.com’s Mark Daniels and Karen Guregian report.
The report claims that the 25-year-old Milton would prefer to be on a roster that gives him an opportunity to compete for a starting job. It’s unclear if the Patriots are open to moving the 6-foot-5, 246-pound signal-caller or prefer to keep him on the roster for another year.
If the Patriots decide to move Milton, it likely wouldn’t happen until after the draft, per MassLive:
“I think Joe’s did everything that they asked him to do last year. Sounds like in conversations that he worked extremely hard, and that’s tough when you’re a quarterback,” Patriots coach Mike Vrabel said earlier this week. “Everybody wants to play. Everybody wants to be the starter. That’s great to have that attitude. And he was ready for his opportunity there late in the season, which I commend him on, just like I would any player that sat there and went through a long season, a difficult season, and then got the opportunity, went out, won a football game, played well, helped his team win.
“And then where that leads to, we’ll see as the draft approaches, or where Joe is on April 7 to start our offseason program. But you have to give Joe credit for being ready to go, going from the third quarterback to being able to win that football game and stay ready and stay hungry.”
Milton found himself third on the team’s depth chart behind last year’s first-round pick Drake Maye and veteran Jacoby Brissett. He helped lead the Patriots to a win over the Buffalo Bills in their regular-season finale by passing for 241 yards and a touchdown and rushing for a touchdown.
The Patriots selected Milton in the sixth round of the 2024 draft. The Tennessee product is likely to remain as the No. 3 passer for a consecutive year with Maye entrenched as the starter. New England signed Joshua Dobbs to a two-year, $8-million contract in March to provide a veteran presence.
Head coach Mike Vrabel praised Milton’s work ethic and commended the young QB for his patience toward the end of last year.
“Yeah, I think Joe’s (done) everything that they asked him to do last year. Sounds like in conversations that he worked extremely hard, and that’s tough when you’re a quarterback,” Vrabel said Monday.
