ESPN makes bold suggestions for New England Patriots that involves former Tennessee Vols QB Joe Milton

ESPN made a bold offseason suggestion for the New England Patriots that involves former Tennessee Vols quarterback Joe Milton. 

On Friday, ESPN made some bold offseason suggestions for each NFL team. Their suggestion for New England is to trade Milton this offseason. 

Milton, who was selected by the Patriots in the sixth round of the 2024 NFL Draft, played in one game for New England as a rookie last season. The former Vol started in the Patriots' regular season finale against the Buffalo Bills. Milton led New England to a win against Buffalo, passing for 241 yards and a touchdown while also rushing for a touchdown. 

From ESPN : There could be interest around the league in Milton because of the overall weakness of this year's quarterback draft class. The rookie showed promise in Week 18 against the Bills' backups with a 72.4 QBR. If New England can turn three more years of a sixth-round pick into four more years of a third- or fourth-round pick, that's usually going to be a win for a roster. Especially when the only playing time Milton had during the regular season was a finale game against backups because the Patriots already have their quarterback of the future in Drake Maye.

Quarterbacks aren't often traded after just one season in the NFL, but Milton is an interesting case. 

The Florida native, who started his college career at Michigan before transferring to Tennessee, is locked into a backup role in New England thanks to the presence of Drake Maye (the Patriots' first round selection in 2024). With Maye locked in as the quarterback of the future in New England, Milton is unlikely to see the field much for the Patriots over the next few years. 

Milton played terrific in his one start last season. As a result, his value on the trade market right now might be as high as it'll ever be (it could certainly increase with a couple more big games, but it could also plummet with just one stinker of a game....which is always possible with young quarterbacks in the NFL). 

As ESPN noted, if the Patriots can turn a sixth round pick like Milton into a third or fourth round pick via a trade, it might be too good of an opportunity for New England to pass up.