After a second straight 4-13 season, the New England Patriots need to rebuild their roster â almost from the ground up. Apart from second-year quarterback Drake Maye, and third-year cornerback Christian Gonzalez, there appears to be no position on the New England team not in need of an upgrade.
And that means the Patriots, in addition to putting together a stellar draft and taking an aggressive stance in the free agent market, executive vice president of player personnel Eliot Wolf and new head coach Mike Vrabel will need to exploit possible trades as well, particularly in advance of the April 24 draft. A well placed trade before, or even on that date could net the Patriots valuable draft picks in addition to the nine they already own.
Following his eye-opening performance against the Buffalo Bills in Week 18 of the 2024 season in a game that meant nothing in terms of playoff seeding, Patriots backup quarterback Joe Milton III â taken in the sixth round last year with the 193rd overall pick â has been perhaps the most talked-about trade candidate on the roster.
‘Bazooka Joe’ Puts High-Level Athletic Ability on Display
Though he was facing a Bills team comprised almost entirely of bench players, Milton nonetheless impressed with his high-level athleticism. Not only did the 6’5″, 246-pound Milton slip three of four potential sacks using his mobility, his “exciting skill set was on full display during his 48-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Kayshon Boutte in the second quarter,” wrote Nick Goss of NBC Sports Boston. “He used his athleticism to escape the pass rush, avoid a sack and fire a pass to Boutte, who was wide open in the middle of the field.”
Milton is also known for his rocket-like arm, which has earned him the nickname “Bazooka Joe.” In that Week 18 contest, Milton â after scrambling away from another Bills pass rush, his completed sidearm pass into the end zone to wide receiver DeMario “Pop” Douglas was clocked at 61.7 mph, the second-fastest pass ever recorded in the NFL.
Not surprisingly, Milton’s name has come up in hypothetical trades to just about every team in need of a quarterback, starter or backup, for the 2025 season, from the Los Angeles Rams to the Pittsburgh Steelers.
The weakness of this year’s quarterback draft class, in evidence at the Senior Bowl in late January, has only served to increase the trade value of the former Tennessee Volunteer and 2023 Orange Bowl MVP.
Vrabel Gives His View on Potential Milton Trade â Sort of
So, is Milton on the trading block as far as the Patriots are concerned? Boston Sports Journal reporter Greg Bedard reported earlier this week that the New England brass was “toying” with the idea of dealing Milton. But on Thursday, in an interview with veteran Patriots reporter Karen Guregian of MassLive, Vrabel finally gave his views on a Milton trade. Sort of.
âI think itâs a little early to have that conversation right now as far as trading players,â Vrabel told Guregian. âI would say that anything that we could do within reason to strengthen our roster we would have to entertain â outside of I would say of a few players.â
But Guregian wasn’t buying it.
“Translation,” she wrote. “The door is open.”
Vrabel also said that he had spoken with Milton, presumably about the possibility of a trade, among other topics.
“Iâve reached out. Weâve had conversations,â Vrabel said in the MassLive interview. âI think thatâs too soon to tell.”
Another veteran Patriots reporter, Chad Graff of The Athletic, gave his own view this week as well, warning the Patriots against trading Milton away. At least not yet. Graff felt that allowing Milton to display his talents again the preseason would increase his trade value. But then, the Patriots would be looking to the 2026 draft to get a return for Milton.
Milton would be an economical option for any team. He will enter the second year of his four-year rookie contract valued at a salary cap-friendly $4.2 million.
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