Morning Sports Update
“The backup quarterback is typically one of the most popular people in town, so there will be fans who hate this decision. Those feelings will be justified if Milton ever has any success as a starter.”
Joe Milton trade grades: The Patriots resolved one of the team’s simmering offseason subplots on Thursday, trading backup quarterback Joe Milton to the Cowboys along with a seventh-round pick in exchange for a fifth-rounder.
The reaction to the deal was mixed, to put it mildly (especially when assessing Patriots trade grades following the announcement). Some Patriots reporters noted that the trade terms are largely rooted in historical reality given Milton’s circumstances (as a sixth-round pick with very limited NFL experience).
“There’s no example of a guy playing one game as a rookie and then being traded for really anything more than this,” Boston Herald reporter Doug Kyed explained to colleague Andrew Callahan on the “Pats Interference” podcast Thursday evening.
“But nobody said anything about giving Milton away for free,” wrote Boston Globe reporter Ben Volin, as if in response. “Which is practically what the Patriots did Thursday.”
Volin added that he believed the reason for the deal was to “placate [Drake] Maye, their young franchise quarterback.”
As far as actual trade grades, here’s a quick snapshot:
The Athletic: C
“The backup quarterback is typically one of the most popular people in town, so there will be fans who hate this decision,” wrote The Athletic’s Jeff Howe. “Those feelings will be justified if Milton ever has any success as a starter. But by moving on, the Patriots announced their priorities were elsewhere on the roster.”
CBS Sports: B
“Given all the hub this offseason surrounding Milton, and amount of teams that could use a quarterback, it’s somewhat surprising that the Patriots didn’t get more in exchange for Milton,” noted Bryan DeArdo of CBS Sports. “While this is true, one recurring theme this offseason is that teams are protecting their draft picks more than ever, so the Patriots getting a fifth-round pick (and trading away a seventh-round pick) for Milton may not be that bad, after all.”
ESPN: C
“For New England, perhaps new coach Mike Vrabel felt Milton’s performance was a mirage and preferred the higher floor of the recently signed Joshua Dobbs as his backup option,” wrote analyst Seth Walder. “Even if that’s true, I still would have expected them to get a little more value for Milton. And in the absence of that, I’d rather roll the dice on him developing further.
Pats Pulpit: C
All three Pats Pulpit analysts gave the deal a C for New England.
“I understand why the Patriots wanted to move on from Milton,” explained Pat Lane. “He’s a charismatic guy who believes that he deserves a shot to start, and the Patriots have their stud QB of the future ahead of him already. It still feels like they could have gotten a little more for him. Ultimately, in a perfect world, he would have never played another snap for the Patriots, so it was the right decision to move on; the only question here is the compensation and the timing.”
Trivia: There are seven quarterbacks who have more than 5,000 career passing yards while playing for the Patriots in team history. One of them was (obviously) Tom Brady, who like Joe Milton, was a sixth-round pick. Only one other player in that group was a non-first-round pick. Can you name him?
(Answer at the bottom).
Hint: Fifth-round pick out of Kansas State.
Scores and schedules:
The Red Sox won the series against the Orioles with an 8-4 win in Thursday’s game.
Today, the Red Sox host the Cardinals for the 2025 home opener at Fenway Park. First pitch is set for 2:10 p.m. Pregame ceremonies will include a fly-over and also a reunion of former players to mark the 50th anniversary of the 1975 Red Sox.
Tonight, the Celtics host the Suns at 7:30 p.m.
Elsewhere, the Bruins lost for a 10th game in a row, falling 4-1 to the Canadiens. They will host the Hurricanes on Saturday at 7 p.m.
And on Saturday, the Revolution face FC Cincinnati on the road at 7:30 p.m.
More from Boston.com:
Kristian Campbell keeps hitting: The rookie went 2-for-4, including his second career home run in another Red Sox win.
That one got out in a hurry! ⏱️ pic.twitter.com/vrWVwNKG3o
— Red Sox (@RedSox) April 3, 2025
On this day: In 2001, Hideo Nomo pitched a no-hitter in his Red Sox debut in a 3-0 win over the Orioles. It was the first Boston no-hitter since Dave Morehead in 1965. Nomo finished his night with 11 strikeouts and just three walks
Daily highlight: Jeremy Swayman made an unbelievable save even in what has been (and continued to be) a brutal stretch for the Bruins.
JEREMY SWAYMAN 🤯
WHAT. A. SAVE.
📺: @Sportsnet or stream on Sportsnet+ ➡️ https://t.co/4KjbdjVctF pic.twitter.com/GCGFi5QRJC
— NHL (@NHL) April 4, 2025
Trivia answer: Steve Grogan
Sign up for the Today newsletter
Get everything you need to know to start your day, delivered right to your inbox every morning.
