Former Tennessee Vols QB Joe Milton takes the high road when asked about getting traded from Patriots to Cowboys

Former Tennessee Vols quarterback Joe Milton told reporters on Thursday that his Week 18 performance against the Buffalo Bills was one of the best days of his life. 

Milton led the New England Patriots to a 23-16 win against the Bills in Week 18 in the lone start of his rookie season. 

The former Vol passed for 241 yards and a touchdown and rushed for 16 yards and a touchdown in the win. 

One of the best days of Milton's life led to him getting traded this offseason to the Dallas Cowboys. 

A report from MassLive's Karen Guregian suggested that Milton was traded by the Patriots because he "fancied himself a starter", but knew he didn't have a "legitimate chance to compete with Drake Maye" for the starting job. The report also stated that Milton thought "he was good enough to give Maye a run, if not overtake him for the top job."

There was also a report from the Boston Sports Journal's Greg Bedard that stated that someone in the Patriots organization described Milton as "not a good dude". 

"Joe Milton was, and this is a direct quote from someone in the organization, not a good dude," said Bedard. "And [he was] not conducive to a good quarterback room. I'm not saying he -- they did say that, but I think they just meant in terms of knowing your role, playing your role, being part of a harmonious quarterback room. That that was going to be an issue. And it wasn't about Drake Maye, it was just about the room."

Essentially, the belief among reporters was that Milton wanted out of New England. And the Patriots traded Milton because they didn't want a young quarterback in the room that felt like he should have a shot at competing with Maye for the starting job. (I mean, can you blame Milton? What other mindset is he supposed to have as a rookie quarterback? He's supposed to want to compete.)

Milton was asked on Thursday if he was "looking for a fresh start" this offseason. The former Vol took the high road, electing to stay silent on any potential drama that accompanied the end of his time in New England. 

"It did catch me by surprise," said Milton with a laugh after hearing the fresh start comment. "Was I surprised? Yes. I woke up around 7:00 AM, woke up to a call and knew I was getting traded. Only thing I did at that moment was thank God. I'm blessed. Coming here was a blessing. I didn't know it was going to be here. My agent said there were multiple teams that called. I didn't know where I was going to end up. I was just thankful to go somewhere." 

The reporter followed up by asking Milton why he's "blessed" to be in Dallas now. 

"Back in the heat, for one," said Milton. "They allow me to play in a dome. And it's America's team. Also, it's just great to learn from somebody like Dak (Prescott)."