Dee Milliner Trade Rumors: Latest Buzz and Speculation Surrounding Jets CB

Although Dee Milliner continues to recover from a torn Achilles suffered in October, the former first-round selection is drawing consideration as a trade target around the NFL. 

Continue for updates.

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Jets Reportedly Receiving Trade Inquiries on Milliner

Wednesday, March 18

"The Daily News has learned that teams have made trade inquiries about the Jets’ 2013 first-round pick in the wake of the cornerback upgrades," reported Manish Mehta of the New York Daily News.

Milliner was once viewed as the next great shutdown cornerback when he came into the league after winning a championship at Alabama. He was so highly regarded, many viewed him as the perfect replacement for the Jets when they traded Darrelle Revis to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in wake of a knee injury.

Heading into the 2015 season, Milliner carries his own injury concerns. Over the course of his young career, he's dealt with injuries to his shoulder, quad, hamstring, ankle and now Achilles, as documented by Rotoworld's archive. 

On Feb. 18, Rich Cimini of ESPNNewYork.com noted Milliner "may not be ready until early summer." After bringing back former Jets stars in Revis and Antonio Cromartie, while also signing Buster Skrine, the Jets completely revamped their secondary, which would lead many to believe Milliner is expendable.

However, Mehta sees the bigger picture when discussing such a bold move: "It would be risky for the new Jets decision makers to trade away a Top 10 pick for a mid- to late-rounder before fully knowing what they have in him. Cutting the cord on a skilled 23-year-old corner after a rough two-year start to his career could backfire," Mehta stated. 

Mehta also broke down the financial impact of trading Milliner: "Milliner, who has a $585,000 base salary in the third year of his four-year rookie contract, will count $3.45 million against the 2015 salary cap. The Jets will have $3.8 million in dead money if he’s traded, according to overthecap.com."

“I’m not going to say somebody that plays the same position is better than me,” Milliner said in training camp last year, per Mehta. “I’m the best.” Although that statement is false, it's certainly the type of confidence fans, coaches and management want to hear.

If the Jets were to receive a significant haul for Milliner, perhaps it would make sense to depart ways. However, given his innate skills at the position and that he would now be viewed as the fourth cornerback for the team, it would make sense to retain him since such a package would be unlikely at this point.

It's always a gamble to retain a player with an injury history as extensive as Milliner's, but the Jets now don't have to pressure him to return too soon due to their free-agency signings. Miller would also be able to learn from two of the best cornerbacks of the past decade in Revis and Cromartie, which should provide major dividends for the Jets long-term.