“It was great, it’s a blessing come true. That was something that me and my team and talked about. And were able to get done with the Cowboys, so it’s just a blessing to be here.” Joe Milton couldn’t be happier about joining the Cowboys. Drafted just last season, Milton didn’t want to spend another year in the shadows. Another year stuck behind Drake Maye, who’s most likely going to be the Patriots’ QB1 this season. And since new HC Mike Vrabel reportedly backed Maye all the way, he didn’t leave much room for anyone else. So for Milton, who spent his rookie year riding the bench behind both Maye and Jacoby Brissett, it just made sense to switch it up and find a new home.

Last week, on April 3, the Patriots shipped Joe Milton off to America’s Team. They gave away their 2025 seventh-round draft pick along with him. In return, the Pats got a 2025 fifth-round pick from Dallas. But this trade might not be as simple as it looks. On Tuesday, Mike Florio and Patriots legend Devin McCourty sat down to break it all down.

Florio, adding more weight to the timing of the trade, brought over a report by ESPN’s Mike Reiss. He pointed out that the Pats did not just trade Joe Milton on a whim; it was intentional. “There was a report from over the weekend, Mike Reiss of ESPN.com. And it was couched in a positive way, but he reported that the timing wasn’t a coincidence,” said Mike.

It was also because Mike Vrabel wants to shape the team culture from the jump. That means no gray areas when it comes to leadership, especially at quarterback. So if Milton still saw himself as a starter and wasn’t fully on board with playing backup to Drake Maye, it could’ve created friction. Florio believes that Vrabel and the Pats’ front office wanted to avoid any kind of drama within the roster, so they just chose to clean up the QB room a bit. “Mike Vrabel, head coach of the team now, is intent on building the chemistry and the team the right way. And that underscores this idea that there was something going on there.” But is that a valid move?

Devin McCourty then added a more personal layer to the conversation. 

McCourty keeps it real on Joe Milton’s exit

Devin spent 13 seasons in the Patriots’ locker room, he knows that building better than most. So when he speaks, people listen. The 37-year-old didn’t hold back as he shared some behind-the-scenes insight into how Joe Milton was viewed within the team. When Mike Florio asked whether others shared Milton’s belief that he should’ve been QB1 in the locker room. Or if he was more of a “lone wolf” in that mindset? McCourty offered a thoughtful take.

“I got the feeling that it was a little bit of a lone wolf. But everyone in that building felt he had the skill set to be a guy in the NFL. I think the same thing a lot of people thought about him coming out, as far as arm strength, all of the abilities that he had. But it just hadn’t come together yet.” Devin explained that people in the organization liked Milton and believed in his raw talent. But there was just a different kind of energy around Drake Maye.

The former NFLer pointed out the Bills game, where Maye showed flashes of brilliance. And that pretty much made people inside the New England building start buying into Maye as the guy. “I think people still liked Joe Milton, but I just think Drake Maye and the feeling about him overall, being the third pick, his energy and attitude…” And the comparison?

Devin added, “I don’t think many people were comparing Joe Milton to Drake Maye. I just think people liked Joe Milton but never really saw him in the way that they saw Drake Maye.” So, that’s how things stood between Milton and the Pats. There was definitely some tension brewing between the two. In that case, it made sense for both sides to go their separate ways.