One of the more dramatic parts of the 2024 season in New England was the decision by Jerod Mayo and Co. to draft Drake Maye with the third overall pick and follow it up in the sixth round by selecting another quarterback. Although Joe Milton III was highly regarded for his potential, it seemed odd to take two rookie quarterbacks when the assumption was that Maye would be the starter eventually, with Jacoby Brissett as the veteran starter until then.
It led to countless inevitable headlines regarding the drama in the locker room, as Milton had some standout moments during practice, and it eventually led to him stepping in for Maye in Week 18. He helped the Patriots win the game over Buffalo, ensuring they fell from the No. 1 overall pick in the 2025 draft to No. 4, and guaranteed the new regime led by Mike Vrabel would have to figure out what his future would be.
Milton was a priority trade in free agency, and the Patriots sent him to where he reportedly wanted to go, which was the Dallas Cowboys. Since he arrived in the NFC East, the young quarterback has taken a few shots at the team that drafted him, and that continued once the Cowboys began training camp last week.
While that's not entirely unexpected, Milton's comments, as they remain, are debatable regarding who and what he was referring to.
Joe Milton continues to share an unfavorable experience with the Patriots since arriving in Dallas
After an early practice last week, Milton spoke to the media and was asked about his experience in Dallas so far.
That opened the door for him to take a shot at the Patriots, leaving many fans questioning whether he was speaking negatively about his former coaching staff, which would be unsurprising given how negatively they were received, or, based on the context of his response, could he be revealing hostility toward his former quarterback teammates in New England?
Cowboys QB Joe Milton has been surprised by how much Dak Prescott has helped him. “Dak is a great leader. … All respect to him. He literally goes out of his way to help me.”
— Jon Machota (@jonmachota) July 24, 2025
“I’ve been in another building. I know how that goes. It’s just very different over here.” pic.twitter.com/30pPwCxN9V
RELATED: Cowboys reporter confirmed what Patriots fans knew about Joe Milton all along
It seems unclear who exactly he was referring to, given the context of speaking highly about veteran quarterback Dak Prescott, which makes it even more incomprehensible that it could possibly be about Brissett or Maye.
There had been no indication of a rift in the quarterback room last season, especially between the rookies, and nothing unflattering came out about Brisett's attitude, even after he was benched for Maye in Week 6. Although that doesn't necessarily mean fans and the media were privy to everything that was going on, it's difficult to imagine nobody picked up on drama behind the scenes when everything else seemed to leak out.
It would certainly make more sense if Milton was referring to how things were handled by Mayo and Co. last year, which is far different than what's going on in Dallas. That would be in line with everything we've seen and heard about the 2024 season, as opposed to any chaos in the quarterback room.
Regardless of who it's about at this point, it's a head-scratching comment, and the Patriots are fortunate to seemingly be avoiding any further drama this offseason now that Mike Vrabel is in the building. Hopefully, that continues moving forward.