Welcome to our new weekly column here at FFSN: the Friday Rewind, which will provide a concise analysis of the biggest stories of the week in the NFL.

The Lead: Will the Joe Milton trade be a coup or just more controversy for the Cowboys?

The Patriots traded Joe Milton III to the Dallas Cowboys on Thursday, in a move that seems at once brilliant and curious.

Milton, a sixth-round pick, was the second quarterback New England took in last year’s draft, behind third-overall selection Drake Maye. He stands 6’5 and weighs 245 pounds, and may be the most impressive physical specimen the league has seen at the position since Cam Newton. Milton is raw and erratic, but possesses a cannon for an arm, tremendous mobility, and outrageous potential. In his one opportunity at extended playing time last season, a Week 18 relief appearance of Maye, he went 22-of-29 for 241 yards and two touchdowns as the Patriots knocked off the Bills. Potential can be a dirty word in the NFL — the history of the league is littered with players who never lived up to theirs — but if Milton can harness his, he could become a star.

New England is committed to Maye, though, and they did Milton a favor by moving him. Kind of. In Dallas, Milton can learn under Dak Prescott, a quarterback to whom his style has been compared favorably. That seems like a good thing. But Prescott is signed through 2027 at an astronomical figure — $240 million, with all but $9 million of it guaranteed. Unless Dallas is interested in moving Prescott, and can find a dance partner willing to take on his massive deal, or at least parts of it, Milton’s path to becoming the starter in Dallas is a murky one.

The Cowboys may have pulled off a coup in prying Milton from New England at such a low cost. Or, should Prescott struggle, they may have stirred up a quarterback controversy that presents no simple resolution. Ultimately, because it’s Dallas, I lean towards the latter.

Quick Hits

• The Las Vegas Raiders extended Geno Smith on Thursday, signing him to a deal that now runs through the 2027 season. Vegas will pay Smith $75 million in the extension, with $66.5 million guaranteed. That’s great news for Smith, who gets the biggest payday of his career, and for the Raiders, who have an opportunity to stabilize their quarterback position for the first time since Derek Carr left in 2022. Smith will work with new offensive coordinator Chip Kelly and star tight end Brock Bowers to improve a Vegas offense that was 27th in the NFL in yards per game last season, and 29th in points per game.
• The Cardinals extended Trey McBride, giving him $76 million over four years and making him the highest-paid tight end in NFL history. McBride has 192 receptions and 10 touchdowns over the past two seasons, which is great. But the highest-paid tight end in NFL history? Trey McBride? Brock Bowers must be giddy at this news.
• The league tabled a vote on whether to ban the Tush Push until next month, giving us plenty of time to debate its merits. Teams were supposedly split 16-16 at an informal vote last weekend, which is eight votes shy of the 3/4 majority needed to kill it. Critics claim it features a non-football act by allowing the ball-carrier to be shoved from behind, and that it poses a heightened injury risk to players. Those in favor of the play have condensed their argument to the following: Stop whining and figure out how to stop it. To which I say, Amen.

Non-Football Thoughts

• Friday marks the 57th anniversary of Martin Luther King, Jr’s, assassination. This quote of his always resonates with me: “We must learn to live together as brothers or perish together as fools.”
• R.I.P. Val Kilmer, who is best known for his iconic role of “Iceman” in Top Gun, but whom I’ll always remember for his portrayal of Jim Morrison in The Doors. I was a huge Doors fan as a kid, and Kilmer nailed it as Morrison, bringing out all of the swagger, arrogance, and absurdity of the rock legend.
• Give me Auburn and Duke in the Final Four this weekend. For what that’s worth…