Steelers Now
The New England Patriots could consider trading second-year quarterback Joe Milton III, adding another potential player to the quarterback market for the Pittsburgh Steelers this offseason.
The Steelers, who have just one quarterback under contract for 2025, have not had much reported interest in external candidates so far, instead focusing most of their efforts on incumbents Russell Wilson and Justin Fields.
But the Steelers have been connected to a trade for Los Angeles Rams starter Matt Stafford in recent weeks, and they could also be interested in Milton, who had a surprising rookie season with the Patriots.
Milton is a 6-foot-5, 246-pound quarterback that played collegiately at Michigan and Tennessee. Despite playing six seasons of college football, he threw for just 5,353 career yards and was still considered a raw and unproven prospect when he came out for the 2024 NFL Draft.
The Patriots drafted him in the sixth round, looking for a backup to their top draft pick, Drake Maye. But Milton showed in one game in his rookie season that he might have more promise than that.
With Maye dealing with a hand injury and New England’s season functionally over, Milton played in the Patriots’ Week 18 game, and he played well. Milton completed 22 of 29 passes (75.9%) for 241 yards, one touchdown, no interceptions and a 111.4 passer rating as the Patriots upset the Buffalo Bills, 23-16.
Kayshon Boutte's year 2:
📍589 YDS
📍3TDs
📍13 explosive plays
Jakobi Meyers hit 729 but scored no TDs and was mostly a slot.Kay scored his 3rd td on a slant turned free-for-all from Joe Milton. pic.twitter.com/6ijthniXZ2
— ZeeBee (@BellinoZee) January 6, 2025
Milton’s strong performance might have the Patriots thinking differently about their backup quarterback, and perhaps open up the idea of a trade.
“There’s increasing belief around the NFL that the Patriots are at least contemplating a trade of Milton this offseason,” wrote Greg Bedard of Boston Sports Journal.
Milton would be an intriguing option for the Steelers, who value quarterback mobility, and they could even combine a trade for Milton with a Fields return, setting up a competition between two mobile passers. Steelers president Art Rooney II said this offseason that he wants his top two quarterbacks to be more closely aligned skillset-wise than they were in 2024.
Milton ran a 4.62-second 40-yard dash and posted a 35-inch vertical and 10-foot-1 broad jump in pre-draft testing. According to RAS, his most similar athletic comparison at the quarterback position is Cam Newton.
Milton struggled with accuracy issues in college, completing just 61.6% of his passes. But he showed the ability to improve and take coaching with the Patriots, and he has the athletic potential to be a significant weapon at the next level.
