The loss of Dee Milliner in 2014 was a devastating blow to a thin Jets secondary. In 2015, the Jets are deeper than ever at cornerback, throwing Milliner’s role into flux. If the Jets don’t feel a need to keep him, there could be an opportunity to get something of value back as Manish Mehta of the Daily News hears that teams have made trade inquiries on the former first-round pick.
Sources tell Mehta that the Jets have told interested teams that Milliner won’t be given away at a drastically discounted price. For now, the Jets are content waiting for Milliner to get healthy to properly evaluate him as he competes for the No. 4 cornerback spot, but a trade down the road has not been ruled out.
Milliner, the No. 9 overall pick in the 2013 draft, has missed 16 games in his first two seasons due to four different injuries after undergoing five surgeries at Alabama. Three front-office executives of cornerback-needy teams told Mehta that Milliner’s value would probably net the Jets a mid- to late- round pick thanks to his unclear health status. If Milliner can prove himself to be healthy, however, things could change.
Milliner, 24 in September, will count $3.45MM against the 2015 salary cap and the Jets will have $3.8MM in dead money if he’s traded.