The Dallas Cowboys have found a new backup for Dak Prescott.
‘America’s Team’ have acquired Joe Milton III and a 2025 seventh-round NFL Draft pick (No. 217) in a trade with the New England Patriots.
In return, the Pats have received a 2025 fifth-rounder – pick No. 171.
Milton, who entered the league last year, flashed a big arm and unique play-making skills last preseason, before featuring in Week 18 for New England.
In the final game of the season, he completed 22 of 29 passes for 241 yards and a touchdown.
The 25-year-old added 16 rushing yards with a TD and a fumble in a surprise win over the Buffalo Bills, which dropped the Pats from the first overall pick to fourth in line for this year’s draft.
But with Drake Maye the franchise starter in New England, and veteran Joshua Dobbs to back him up, Milton would have found himself struggling for playing time in Foxborough.
In 2025, he will be backing up Prescott for the Cowboys, instead.
And according to LeSean McCoy, the new arrival could have the NFL’s highest-paid signal caller sweating.
Speaking on Fox Sports after the trade was announced, the two-time Super Bowl champion offered Prescott a warning.
“I’ll just be honest man, listen. If Dak Prescott has (a season) like he’s always had, going into next year, Dak, find a realtor,” McCoy said on The Facility.
“Because Joe Milton’s got talent, he can play.
“I’ll say this, y’all laugh and all that, I’ve seen other quarterbacks get paid a lot of money, and (teams) move on from them.”
Prescott, of course, got paid by the Cowboys last September.
The quarterback signed a four-year, $240 million deal. With an average of $60m a year, the extension gives Prescott the highest average annual value in NFL history.
Owner Jerry Jones would have hoped his franchise star could have guided Dallas back to the playoffs last season, but it didn’t work out that way.
Prescott went down with a hamstring injury in Week 9, had surgery, and didn’t feature again.
He has struggled with injuries at other moments in his career too, and played just five games in 2020, while he also missed weeks of the 2022 season.
Prescott’s injury history suggests that the backup position in Dallas is indeed an important one.
Cooper Rush, the previous No. 2 who departed last month, proved valuable for the Cowboys with a 9-5 record behind Prescott.
In 2025, Milton might well get an opportunity to prove himself too, even if the starting QB does look in great shape heading into the new season.
And while McCoy’s suggestion that Prescott needs to find himself a realtor is a little far-fetched, the arrival of Milton might just put him on notice.
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