Jets decline Dee Milliner's 5th-year option but pick up Sheldon Richardson's

Injury-plagued cornerback Dee Milliner, drafted ninth overall by the New York Jets in 2013, did not have his fifth-year option exercised by the team. It means he will be a free agent after the season.

Monday's move came as no surprise, as Milliner has missed 27 of 48 games due to surgery on his Achilles tendon and wrist. His fifth-year salary would have been $11.9 million, based on a formula for cornerbacks drafted in the top 10.

As expected, the Jets picked up the option for defensive end Sheldon Richardson, the 13th overall choice in 2013. His salary will be $8 million in 2017.

Richardson has been a productive player (16.5 career sacks), winning NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year, but his immediate future is uncertain. He was arrested last July and pleaded guilty to resisting arrest, meaning he could be suspended under the NFL's personal conduct policy. His case still is under review, a league spokesman said Monday.

He was suspended the first four games last season for violating the league's substance abuse policy.

Milliner flashed promise at the end of his rookie year, but he suffered a ruptured Achilles in 2014 and missed the first half of last season after injuring his wrist in a training camp practice. He was placed on short-term injured reserve. He was activated Nov. 11 and played in five games, but he didn't participate in a single snap on defense.

Millner has undergone seven surgeries in his football career, the first five coming at Alabama.