Joe Milton III recently said he was surprised when the New England Patriots traded him to the Dallas Cowboys in April, but there are several reasons the quarterback is pleased to be playing for a new team. One of them is the weather.
Milton spoke with reporters on Thursday about the Patriots’ decision to ship him and a seventh-round draft pick to the Cowboys in exchange for a fifth-round pick. He admitted that the deal caught him off guard, but he also called it “a blessing.”
Why? Because it’s warmer in Dallas and the Cowboys play indoors. Milton said he is pleased to be playing for “America’s team” and learning behind Dak Prescott.
“Coming here was a blessing. I didn’t know it was going to be here. … I didn’t know where I was going to end up.” Milton said, via Cowboys.com. “I was just thankful to go to work. [But now I’m] back in the heat, for one. He allowed me to play in the dome, for two. And, three, it’s America’s team. Also, it’s just great to learn from someone like Dak.”
Milton was born in Florida and played in college at Tennessee. You can understand why he was not thrilled with the weather in New England.
With the Patriots committed to Drake Maye, there was no real path for Milton to start with his former team. The same is true in the near term with the Cowboys, who are heavily invested in Prescott.
If Milton has to be a backup, it makes sense for him to prefer to play that role in Dallas.
The Patriots drafted Milton in the sixth round in 2024, the same year they selected Maye third overall. There were rumblings that Milton had created some issues in New England, so perhaps he wanted a change of scenery for more than one reason.
