Patriots Insider Confirms the Joe Milton Trade Had Nothing to Do With Drake Maye, it Was Because He is 'Not a Good Dude' for the Pats QB Room
Well, this explains a lot.
Why the Patriots trade this (above) for the 171st pick, which they then turned into this:
Say what you will about the wisdom of trading Joe Milton. But when you get an ROI of the best place kicker in the draft, the best long snapper, and a developmental defensive back for the 193rd pick of last year's draft, a case can be made that you strengthened your team. For sure, you've taken a guy you hope never has to take the field and got two who are going to have a direct impact on how many points you score. Opinions may vary on whether that's worth giving up a guy who flashed a lot of promise in his one career game. But it's not nothing.
But what here to discuss why Milton trade a gives me the chance say, "Right again, Old Balls" for the billionth time. Because here's what I said a couple of days after it was announced:
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[F]or anyone to suggest that somehow Vrabel's decision to rid himself of a 25 year old rookie who vastly overrates himself somehow proves that Maye is a weak, insecure primadonna who has to be babied is worse than just trolling for clicks. It's straight up character assassination. It's using weasel words and question marks to smear a guy who has literally done nothing since he got here but work his ass off, be a great teammate and have a positive attitude. Who has done nothing less than give the entire fanbase hope for the future. …
[Boston sports radio is suggesting] that Drake Maye is some kind of 2-ply soft wuss with a fragile ego who has to be protected from being in the same building as Milton. … Question the trade if you must. But don't you dare question who the Alpha is on this team. And put respect in Drake Maye's name when you dare speak it. Like Highlander, there can be only one.
Which brings us to this report from Pats insider Greg Bedard. Credit to his cohost Nick Cattles for agreeing that any hint Milton was moved because he's some sort of threat to Maye or to keep from hurting the QB1's fragile ego is absolute rubbish. And that all Maye has done is conduct himself like the guy you want leading your team. Which tees up Bedard to report what the real motivation for the trade was:
From the 2:25 mark:
"Joe Milton was, and this is a direct quote from someone in the organization, not a good dude. And not conducive to a good quarterback room. I'm not saying he -- they did say that, but I think they just meant in terms of knowing your role, playing your role, being part of a harmonious quarterback room. That that was going to be an issue. And it wasn't about Drake Maye, it was just about the room."
Exactly. The "not a good dude" quote is what's going to get all the traction, because out of context it's going to sound like someone's attacking Milton's character. But no one is saying you wouldn't want him over to your cookout or share a cart with him for 18 holes. This is someone in the organization saying he's not the guy you want in your quarterback meetings because he thinks he's earned the right to compete for the starting QB job. You can spin that like somehow it's a positive. Like say, "Hey, what's wrong with a guy having a guy around who wants to compete? Isn't that what building a winning organization is supposed to be about?" And if you are, then you just proved you don't understand how human beings function.
A QB room, like a coaching staff, a boardroom, a movie set, a restaurant kitchen, a Presidential administration, a military operation, a ship at sea, a sports-humor-pop culture website - any aspect of human endeavor - is a hierarchy. One that requires everyone to know their role. There are top leaders, upper tier leaders, middle tier leaders, and followers. And everyone has to recognize their place. If you have a Vice President who thinks they deserve to be President, you end up with the plot of every season of Veep. (Or, if you believe some, the JFK assassination.) Have an assistant who believes things would be better if they were in charge, and you get Dunder-Mifflin Scranton that time Michael fake-promoted Dwight to branch manager and chaos ensued.
And don't "What about Tom Brady?" me. He walked in at the 199th pick, worked his perfectly spherical ass off, demonstrated his worth in practice every day, earned the fourth spot on the depth chart (something rarely seen and which has never been done since), made his way up to QB2, got his shot when Drew Bledsoe got hurt, then - and only then, after all that clawing his way to the top and making the most of his opportunity - got the job. It all began with him earning the coveted parking spot reserved for the guys who did the most in the offseason program, and ended up with him becoming the GOAT.
If Brady walked into the offseason after his rookie year acting the least bit entitled, at best he would've gotten humbled by Bill Belichick. But most likely would've gotten traded along with a 7th rounder for Dallas' 5th. Which is precisely how Mike Vrabel and Eliot Wolf handled Milton's delusions of grandeur. That doesn't mean he's not a good guy and might actually become a starter in this league. What is does mean is he had no business walking around Foxboro thinking he was in competition with the franchise quarterback.
If I ever get sick of being right on the money with my analysis on these things, I'll let you know. So far though, I'm good.