New York Jets cornerback Dee Milliner has fired his agency, Impact Sports, after failing to be selected in the top five of the 2013 NFL Draft. The move made Milliner the second high-profile Jets rookie, after quarterback Geno Smith, to do so after a draft deemed less than satisfying.
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Milliner will have to wait five days from the date he fired his representatives before hiring a new agency.
Tony Fleming, the lead agent on Milliner, confirmed the news in a statement Thursday, saying the cornerback had terminated Impact Sports' services.
"I know that everything was done to ensure that Mr. Milliner would be drafted as high as possible," Fleming said. "Dee was the first cornerback selected, and he was drafted ninth overall to the New York Jets. This is a tremendous accomplishment. I wish Mr. Milliner future success in his professional career."
Since 2000, Impact has represented 12 first-round draft picks, with several in the top 10. But Milliner is the first during that time to part ways with the agency. In fact, just two first-rounders in 26 years terminated agreements with the agency -- none before the completion of the rookie contracts -- and both eventually re-hired them.
Noteworthy is that the Jets have been sticklers on including off-set language in contracts, which might be an issue for Milliner at No. 9. Impact Sports negotiated St. Louis Rams rookie Robert Quinn's contract in 2011, making him the lowest first-rounder to receive no offset language.
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Pundits long considered Milliner to be a top-five pick, even if several teams privately said they rated him more like a late top 10 to mid-first-rounder. Milliner was considered to be slightly behind Morris Claiborne, who went sixth overall to the Dallas Cowboys in last year's draft.
Milliner battled pre-draft reports of slow progress from shoulder surgery -- one of many ailments from his college career at Alabama -- though teams were informed early about them and they did not appear to be much of an issue.
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