Patriots need to seriously consider trading away prime candidate this offseason

The Patriots are set at quarterback for at least four more years, most likely with Drake Maye as Option No. One. It’s a perfect place to be, as any team without that luxury can attest. No quarterback usually means you have a lot of work to do.

But what if you have or may have two quarterbacks? What does that connote, and is it, in fact, a good thing? You can debate that at length, but here, we will take a look at the situation with our favorite team, the New England Patriots. As Patriot Nation well knows, the Pats have two young quarterbacks, both 2024 draftees.

One was the third player taken overall in the draft. The other was a sixth-round pick (with a familiar ring!) at pick No. 193. They would be Drake Maye, the former, who had a terrific 2024 rookie season, and Joe Milton III, the latter. Milton showed well in a meaningless (sort of) cameo win against the Buffalo Bills. Let’s take a look at his situation and see what the Pats’ options are.

The argument for the Patriots keeping Joe Milton III

One might argue that you need two quarterbacks if one goes down and/or out for the season. Without a capable backup, your season is likely toast. It’s a solid argument with validity, and 90 percent of the time, it will be spot on, as they say across the pond. You are toasted.

Milton’s performance against the Bills in Week 18 was very good. He completed 75.9 percent of his passes for 241 yards, a touchdown, and no interceptions. This performance opened eyes in Patriot Nation and beyond, making Milton a legitimate prospect.

Should the presumptive starter, Maye, get felled by a lackluster offensive line (hopefully, that won’t be the case this season under Mike Vrabel) and be out for any length of time, then, as mentioned, your season is history. That is unless you have a plug-and-play backup who can play. Milton appeared to be just that against the Bills.

One can also argue that the strong-armed Milton, who can also run the ball, would fit in seamlessly in any offense that takes advantage of a dual-threat QB. In addition, many feel that competition is always a good thing. Witness the Tom Brady/Jimmy Garropolo dynamic that seemingly reinvigorated TB 12 for a new round of greatness. Those arguments all make sense. Now for the downsides.

The argument for the Patriots trading Joe Milton III

An old adage in football says that if you have two QBs, you have none. The translation is that the potential friction on the presumptive starter that causes undo stress might very well be counterproductive. In some cases, it no doubt is.

Another argument is that having a veteran signal-caller as a backup, whose role is well-defined, e.g., a Brian Hoyer-type to counsel the young starter and be another quasi-coach on the sideline who wears a uniform, is a superior option. It has merit. A mentor with great experience can be invaluable.

Another negative would be that the starter needs to feel confident and comfortable in his role as the leader of the offense (and de facto leader of the team), and any undo pressure not caused by opposing defenses is a lousy idea from the get-go. Again, that has merit.

Finally, one can bring Milton’s Buffalo performance back to earth by indicating that it was against their second—or third-stringers. He has yet to show anything (in fairness, he hasn’t had the opportunity) against front-line NFL defenses as Maye has, with a meaningful game on the line.

All of these arguments have validity on both sides. So which makes sense?

The thought here is this. The Patriots spent a third pick overall on Drake Maye. They are invested in the young player, and in 2024, he didn’t disappoint one iota despite having a truly awful accompanying cast.

The decision should be if Milton can fetch a premium pick (rounds 1-3), it’s a no-brainer. You make the deal. If he fetches a reasonably high fourth-rounder, you also trade. Anything else is marginal and probably should be rejected.