In the aftermath of the draft, Jets second-round quarterback Geno Smith changed agents. Now, three weeks after cornerback Dee Milliner became the ninth overall pick in the draft, he’s making a change, too.
According to Manish Mehta of the New York Daily News, Milliner has parted ways with Mitch Frankel and Tony Fleming. Per Mehta, “all signs point” to Milliner hiring Pat Dye, once the mandatory five-day waiting period ends.
Mehta explains that Milliner is making the change because he wasn’t a top-five pick in the draft.
If true, it’s a ridiculous reason for making a change. The only team in the top five that reasonably could have taken Milliner was the Lions at No. 5, and they opted to go with defensive end Ziggy Ansah.
Milliner possibly believes that his former agents didn’t do enough to contain or respond to reports regarding his various surgeries. While every team had access to that information, once it becomes public, more pressure is placed on General Managers who are considering picking the player. If Milliner ended up being plagued with injuries, Lions G.M. Martin Mayhew would have been deemed the new Matt Millen in Motown.
Still, the facts are the facts, and there’s only so much any agent can do to control or shape them. And if Milliner thinks his fall was disappointing, maybe he should talk to Smith, a supposed top-five lock who barely made it into the top 40.