SAN FRANCISCO 鈥 Year one for Cowboys quarterback Joe Milton is in the books. After spending his rookie season with the New England Patriots, Dallas acquired Milton and a seventh-round pick before the 2025 season in exchange for a fifth-round pick.
Seeing his former team play in Super Bowl LX isn't an odd experience for Milton, and he's happy for his teammates that'll play in the biggest game of the season.
"It's gonna be cool, to be honest," Milton said. "I already talked to them boys. I'm excited for them. Obviously, this should have been the Cowboys, but at the end of the day, you got to roll with the punches. We've got to get ready for next year. Enjoy the game, get you some ribs and chicken, call it a day."
With New England's quarterback room getting crowded both going into and after Milton's rookie season, a fresh start made sense, and Milton felt it was needed.
"Hell yes," Milton said when asked if going to Dallas was the change he needed. "Because I learned a lot. I feel like I cherished every moment that I had with Dak. I feel like he actually poured into my development, poured into Joe, so it was great. I learned a lot from him, I could talk about it all day."
As he reflected on his first season with the Cowboys, Milton pointed to the fellow quarterbacks in the room having a big footprint in his growth from his rookie season.
"I learned a lot from Dak and Will Grier," Milton said. "They are a tremendous blessing to me in my development at quarterback. I'll say the whole aspect of being in the room with them, I don't think I could ask for a better situation. They both pour into me, so that's all I can ask for."
With Dak Prescott specifically, the biggest lesson he took from the 10-year veteran came in the form of a question.
"What is my end goal?" Milton said. "If I want to be a starter, then be a starter every day. So that's the goal, be a starter every day."
Now, Milton is adamant about having a thorough routine each week that ensure he's prepared to be the starter or fill in for whatever reason. And even though he's more than happy with his current situation, Milton is confident he can be a starter for any team in the league.
"Hell yes," Milton said when asked if he thinks he can start for any team. "Any time, any day, anywhere. I feel like my talents and my ability to process things, I'm able to start anywhere if I was given the opportunity. But patience is a virtue, you've got to be able to learn in this game, so I'm good where I'm at for right now. I don't got no problem with where I'm at, so I'm good."
In the 2026 season, Milton will be going up against a different look in practice: A Christian Parker led defense, and he's looking forward to the upcoming chess matches between himself and Dallas' new DC who has a strong track record of success in the secondary.
"Very excited," Milton said of going up against Parker's group in practice. "I've been doing some of the scout team sometimes, so I'm ready to see what's going on, I'm ready to see what he's going to challenge me with. We'll see the guys he's gonna bring out there and he's going to bring along with him, so I'm ready to see what's going on."
With his second season with the Cowboys on the horizon, Milton's goal for what he wants the year to look like is simple.
"I'll say just me having fun," Milton said. "Me executing the plays like I know I can and just having fun. I think that's when I play my best."
Learning to have fun while playing the game is a lesson that Milton's mother, Deshea, taught him at an early age. Milton was one of seven children that Deshea raised as a single mother.
"Being in a household like that, you get to see the work ethic, the willing to try," Milton said. "That's all she really instilled in me, was just the willing to try, always respect women, and just be the best version of myself. And when I'm out there, just have fun, always remember it's a kids game."
With that inspiration, Milton's foundation sets out to help those who are in similar situations that he was growing up.
"Being with single mothers and single families, just trying to help out the households," Milton said of his charity work. "There's a lot of people that go through it mentally with that. I was a part of a single household foundation, so therefore I know what it takes, I know what kids are going through, so I just want to be a green circle for them."
