The New York Jets declined to exercise the fifth-year option for linebacker Darron Lee, their first-round pick in 2016, a league source said Friday.
It means that Lee will become an unrestricted free agent after the 2019 season.
The Jets could've kept Lee under contract for 2020 at $9.5 million, not fully guaranteed until next March, but that was unlikely to happen before Friday's deadline.
Lee has lost his starting job to C.J. Mosley, who landed a record-setting contract for an inside linebacker -- five years, $85 million. Mosley and returning starter Avery Williamson are projected as the starting inside linebackers, relegating Lee to a reserve role, if he's on the team.