The first rookie drafted this year by the Jets was also the first rookie drafted by the Jets to hire a new agent.
Cornerback Dee Milliner, who fired Tony Fleming and Mitch Frankel last week, has hired Pat Dye and Bill Johnson, per multiple reports. The move comes at a time when quarterback Geno Smith has gone nearly three weeks without hiring a new agent.
It was believed that Milliner would hire Dye from the moment the ninth overall pick in the draft moved on from Fleming and Frankel.
Per at least one report, Milliner made the move because he wasn’t taken in the top five. A source with knowledge of the situation has told PFT that Milliner’s draft position was not the reason for the change.
It shouldn’t have been. Unlike Smith, whom at least one reporter declared to be a top-five lock in the days prior to the draft, Milliner didn’t plunge to No. 39. Instead, Milliner went in the top 10.
Given the rookie wage scale, the financial difference between No. 5 and No. 9 isn’t as sharp as it used to be. Moreover, if Milliner ends up being a great player, he’ll have more off-field earning opportunities in New York.