Ex-Jets $22.5 million starter may return after the Saints release him.
Although the New York Jets have a strong roster, the safety position is the weakest group of players going into the summer.
The team may consider looking into the veteran Marcus Maye. The former Florida player has been a free agent ever since the New Orleans Saints cut him loose in February.
In 2022, Maye received a three-year contract worth $22.5 million in free agency, which caused him to part ways with the Jets.
The Saints’ choice to move on was characterized as a “cap-saving move” by ESPN’s Katherine Terrell.
Jets Insider Leaves the Door Open for a Potential Reunion On “Badlands” Jets analyst Joe Caporoso suggested to Connor Hughes of SNY that the Mayes might get together in New York.
“Maye’s time in New York didn’t end badly. The Jets will need to check those boxes because I know that Maye had some legal concerns in New Orleans when he departed, but that wasn’t a separation like Jamal Adams’. This is the one when the Saints handed him a huge financial boost.
Hughes disclosed on April 22 that “the Jets liked him as a leader [and] they liked what he represented.” I don’t know whether Marcus will want to start behind the eight ball for a starting spot, but that would be one that I wouldn’t be shocked if they returned. which after the draft he might have some bigger opportunities.
Tony Adams, the only safety for New York, is guaranteed a starting position, but everything else is up in the air.
Although Chuck Clark is penciled in to start, he just returned from a season that was cut short by an ACL tear. Jarrick Bernard-Converse and Ashtyn Davis are also players for the Jets, but neither one is certain anything.
The Jets selected Mr. Irrelevant, Alabama’s Jaylen Key, with the last pick in the 2024 NFL Draft. The youthful safety will have an opportunity to compete for a starting position as well as a roster place.
But there’s nothing to fear from any of these names. Maye would have an easy route to a starting position with the Jets as a seasoned starter and proven NFL veteran.
That would be yet another persuasive argument made by New York to try to get Maye to return to the Big Apple.
A Strong Argument in Favor of Maye’s Return to New York
Maye hasn’t had a job in months. That makes signing with the Jets one reason, then.
Reason No. 2: Maye is able to go back home. In the 2017 NFL draft, he was originally selected with the 39th overall pick in the second round.
The Jets had an embarrassing history of making poor second-round draft selections from 2008 to 2016. One bust followed another.
But Maye put a stop to the drought in 2017. In the five years he was in New York, Maye made appearances in sixty of eighteen games. That covers the course of three complete seasons.
During his time with the Jets, the former Gators standout recorded 6 interceptions, 24 pass deflections, 9 tackles for loss, and 312 tackles overall.
He led the locker room quietly and was incredibly productive. Although Maye didn’t say much, when he did, people paid attention.
Moreover, Maye would arrive at a reduced cost. Every free agent will have a lower asking price the further away the NFL draft is.
Leave a Reply