A new era in Patriots football is underway, and New England could have a completely revamped quarterback room.
Head coach Jerod Mayo has already pledged his loyalty to veteran Jacoby Brissett as the Patriots’ starter in Week 1. New England selected North Carolina star Drake Maye with the No. 3 pick in the 2024 NFL Draft, but will be patient in developing its future franchise quarterback.
QBs 1 and 2 are set for the 2024 season, but the Patriots face a fierce battle for QB No. 3.
Bailey Zappe is entering his third season with New England and is currently a backup, but a new rookie quarterback is challenging his spot.
Meet Joe Milton III – the electrifying dual-threat quarterback who could earn a spot on the Patriots roster.
MORE PRESEASON: Week 1 rookie QB ratings | Week 1 overreactions
Who is Joe Milton III?
Milton is a 24-year-old rookie quarterback from Pahokee, Florida.
The Patriots made an offer for Milton from Tennessee in the sixth round (pick no. 193) of the 2024 NFL Draft.
Milton played six seasons of college football, beginning his career at Michigan.
He was a backup for his first two years and earned the starting spot in 2020, but the season was shortened to six games due to COVID-19. Milton ended up splitting time with backup quarterback Cade McNamara after Michigan started the season 1-4 and finished with a record of 2-4.
Milton transferred to Tennessee for the 2021 season and earned the starting spot, but an injury forced him to take a backup role behind Hendon Hooker. Hooker carried that momentum and became the Volunteers’ starter in 2022, but the roles were reversed. Hooker was injured two games before the end of the season and Milton took over the starting spot.
Milton finished the season with one of the best games of his college career, passing for 251 yards, three touchdowns and zero interceptions to lead Clemson to victory in the Orange Bowl.
Hooker graduated after that season, paving the way for Milton to become Tennessee’s starting quarterback in 2023.
As a super senior, Milton threw for 2,813 yards and 20 touchdowns with just five interceptions. He also had 299 rushing yards and seven touchdowns on the ground.
His 4.53-second 40-yard speed and cannon arm gave him a look at the NFL level and now he’s battling for a job with the Patriots.
DOMINATE YOUR DRAFT: 2024 Fantasy Football Cheat Sheet
Joe Milton III College Stats
Milton was a full-time starter for just one college season, which watered down his stats. He threw for 5,353 yards and 37 touchdowns with 11 interceptions and a 61.6% completion rate. He also ran for 661 yards and 12 touchdowns on the ground.
Below are Milton’s college statistics for each year.
| Year | School | Class | General medicine | Cmp Att | Percent. | Yds | TD | INT |
| 2018 | Michigan | FR | 4 | 3-4 | 75.0 | 58 | 0 | 1 |
| 2019 | Michigan | ALSO | 4 | 3-7 | 42.9 | 59 | 1 | 1 |
| 2020 | Michigan | JR | 6 | 80-141 | 56.7 | 1077 | 4 | 4 |
| 2021 | Tennessee | JR | 8 | 32-61 | 52.5 | 375 | 2 | 0 |
| 2022 | Tennessee | SR | 9 | 53-82 | 64.6 | 971 | 10 | 0 |
| 2023 | Tennessee | SR | 12 | 229-354 | 64.7 | 2813 | 20 | 5 |
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Will Joe Milton III get the job as third quarterback for the Patriots?
It is expected that head coach Mayo will have Zappe and Milton fight for the job of third quarterback in the Patriots’ three preseason games.
In the season opener, Brissett played just one drive and Maye only six snaps. Zappe spent most of the time at quarterback, but Milton made the most of his opportunity.
Zappe threw for 108 yards and completed 12 of his 20 pass attempts, but didn’t do much that stood out. Milton, on the other hand, had an electrifying run to keep a game alive and threw a 38-yard touchdown to tie the game in the fourth quarter.
JOE MILTON HAS ARRIVED ‼️
pic.twitter.com/5LH3d7COg2— PFF (@PFF) 9 August 2024
He has frequently showcased his rocket arm and game-winning speed, but Mayo responded to the hype surrounding the rookie quarterback’s first tryout with a Belichick-like attitude.
“Yeah, you know, watching Joe run around and his athleticism is always a welcome sight. Still, there are things he needs to work on,” Mayo told reporters, according to NESN. “One thing would be ball security. I know it looked cool, but it’s always dangerous to swing the ball around like that. But this is a guy that works hard every day and gets better.”
At one point during training camp, Ben Volin of the Boston Globe even went so far as to claim that Milton was better at training than Maye.
The Patriots already know what they have in Zappe. He was a backup for two seasons and even won four games as an interim starter during that time, but his potential is still there. Milton would give New England a new development project, and his talent and athleticism have limitless potential.
Zappe would be the safe choice as the third quarterback, but Milton could develop into an influential player that no one expected.
