On Thursday, the Patriots handed quarterback Joe Milton III over to the Dallas Cowboys, for what amounted to a bag of balls.

Milton, and a 2025 7th-round pick, were traded to the Cowboys for a 2025 5th-round pick.

On the surface, it sure looked like the back-flipping Tennessee product was given away by the Patriots.

Milton had shown promise in his only start, the Week 18 game against the Buffalo Bills. Granted, he soared against a collection of subs, but his special traits – jaw-dropping arm talent and athleticism – were on full display.

In the NFL, giving up so soon on a good young quarterback doesn’t compute. Letting one go so quickly is considered a major no-no.

On the slim chance it does happen, the preference is to trade the asset when the return is at its highest.

So why now and get what amounts to zip?

Why not wait until Milton played in a few more games during the pre-season, and put more tape out there to jack up the price?

Why settle for a what amounts to a late round pick-swap, eliminating the chance for landing more?

What was Mike Vrabel thinking?

Based on intel gathered from sources during the week, Milton fancied himself a starter. He didn’t see himself being given a legitimate chance to compete with Drake Maye.

He also believed he was good enough to give Maye a run, if not overtake him for the top job.

If that chance didn’t exist, Milton preferred being elsewhere, somewhere he had a better chance to compete for the starter’s job.

He got his wish. Sort of.

He got out of Foxborough, but unless the Cowboys trade Dak Prescott, Milton is basically in the same boat in Dallas. Although, he’s reportedly happy to be there given his mother has been a longtime fan of the Cowboys, and it’s always been a “dream” of his to play there.

With that as a backdrop, Vrabel has talked quite a bit about wanting players who want to be in New England. He’s talked a lot about having players who buy in to his program.

Milton, who at 25 is three years older than the Patriots starter, made it clear behind the scenes he no longer wanted to be sitting behind Maye. For Vrabel, who is trying to establish a culture, and trying to set the tone for what’s to come, that attitude didn’t fly.

So he didn’t wait. He extracted Milton before players arrived in town and the Patriots offseason program began April 7th.

Will it prove to be a huge mistake? Will Vrabel live to regret shipping the young backup QB to Dallas?

If Milton moves on to become a bigger star than Maye, and has more success, absolutely.

And if Maye gets hurt this year, and is out for an extended period of time this season, that won’t sit well, either.

While veteran Joshua Dobbs is on board, and serves as a competent backup, he doesn’t have the same wow factor as Milton.

That being said, the Patriots didn’t seem sold on Milton becoming a star.

That’s largely the reason he didn’t garner a greater return in the pre-draft trade.

He was a sixth-round draft pick for a reason.

Coming out of college, there was plenty to like about Milton’s arm talent. But there were also concerns.

His lack of development over six seasons made some experts a little skeptical about how well he’d fare at the next level.

He has a splashy arm, and the kind of mobility that helps his case in the pros. But there’s more to being a successful quarterback in the NFL.

There’s some question if he would he be able to adequately read defenses, and audible out of plays.

Even though his footwork and accuracy in that final game looked improved from what he showed in training camp and the preseason last year, it was hard to project how close he’d come to hitting his ceiling.

One AFC executive told MassLive he didn’t think Milton would net much at this juncture in a trade. And that notion proved correct. The executive thought it might be prudent for the Patriots to wait until after the draft, when the dust settled on all of the quarterbacks taken.

Or even later on during training camp and the preseason when injuries occur, with teams becoming more desperate for quarterback help.

During the AFC coaches breakfast in Palm Beach, Florida on Monday, Vrabel voiced an understanding of Milton’s plight, but also seemed to forecast the move ahead.

“Yeah, I think Joe’s did everything that they asked him to do last year. Sounds like in conversations that he worked extremely hard, and that’s tough when you’re a quarterback,” Vrabel said. “Everybody wants to play. Everybody wants to be the starter, everybody and that’s great to have that attitude.

“And he was ready for his opportunity there late in the season, which I commend him on, just like I would any player that sat there and went through a long season, a difficult season, and then got the opportunity, went out, won a football game, played well, helped his team win.

“And then where that leads to, we’ll see as the draft approaches, or where Joe is on April 7 to start our offseason program.”

It led to Milton being sent to Dallas. Still stuck behind a starter, but happy to put the Patriots in his rearview mirror.

Meanwhile, in Foxborough, Vrabel continues to weed out the players that don’t fit his narrative, and would potentially cause trouble.

With 2024 third-overall pick Maye considered the team’s franchise quarterback, Milton was the proverbial fly in the ointment. He was the elephant in the room and possible disruptor to the new sheriff in town, his team, and his prized young quarterback.

Bazooka-arm and all, Milton had to go. He wanted to go. So the writing was on the wall.