Major Patriots Trade Report Emerges to Begin Offseason

The New England Patriots have dominated the headlines over the last 24 hours after firing head coach Jerod Mayo on Sunday. The Patriots defeated the Buffalo Bills, 23-16, in Week 18 behind rookie quarterback Joe Milton III. 

Milton III did not know he was starting in the regular-season finale until after the kickoff, he told reporters after Sunday’s win. The former University of Tennessee quarterback played well in the Week 18 victory, completing 22-of-29 passes for 241 yards and a touchdown. Milton also had a rushing touchdown.

The rookie quarterback showed he could be the Pats QB2 next season behind Drake Maye as Jacoby Brissett is scheduled to be a free agent this offseason. However, Milton’s performance caught the attention of other teams around the league who could be in the market for a QB next season.

Patriots Rumors: Joe Milton on Other Teams’ Radar After Week 18 Performance

According to Steve Palazzolo, multiple QB-needy teams have inquired about the Patriots' rookie quarterback.

The young quarterback has the arm talent and skills to be an NFL quarterback. But everyone questioned whether he could do it consistently. In college, Milton showed he had a big arm but struggled with accuracy (61.6%).

However, in his final year at Tennessee, the 6-foot-5 quarterback completed 64.7 percent of his passes for 2,813 yards, 20 touchdowns, and five touchdowns. Milton also recorded 299 rushing yards.

It will be interesting to see if any more trade rumors pop up about the rookie QB as we get into free agency in March. If there’s a team willing to give up draft capital for Milton, the Pats must do their due diligence to hear them out.

Now whether they trade Milton or not is an entirely different story. For now, New England looks like they have its QB2 of the future.

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