A recent report suggests the New York Jets have engaged in trade discussions involving free safety Marcus Maye.
When Ashtyn Davis was selected in the third round of the 2020 NFL draft, New York Jets fans quickly thought the worst about Jamal Adams‘s New Jersey future. It didn’t make much sense considering Davis is a centerfielder, not a box guy.
Perhaps his selection serves as wiggle room at the other position.
The Jets have engaged in trade discussions involving Marcus Maye, according to Manish Mehta of the New York Daily News.
Maye isn’t your average rookie-contract player. Already 27, the Florida product is a little older than your average three-year vet. an excellent deep safety who teams well with Adams. The problem is Davis’s long-term outlook. The idea the Jets used a third-round pick on a third-safety over the long haul is the tough sell (no matter how tremendous the Big Dime might look with all three guys on the field).
At the same time, remember, this is Joe Douglas. This man picks up the phone for nearly everybody on the roster, up to and including the folks who clean the bathrooms and work on field maintenance (a joke, obviously).
After an injury-riddled 2018 season (6 games played total), Maye returned a year ago and played a full slate, just as he did his rookie season. He finished the campaign with 1 interception, 7 pass deflections and 65 total tackles. Maye ranked sixth among safeties with 1,089 snaps played and did not commit a single penalty (no safety played more snaps without committing one).
Maye also ranked sixth at his position with an average of one reception allowed every 71.6 snaps in coverage, while ranking at the 75th percentile among safeties with a 74.6 overall Pro Football Focus grade. His heroics in December against the Pittsburgh Steelers helped cement a big late-season victory.
Since arriving in New York three years ago, the Jets safety tandem feels like one piece (rather than two individuals). Maye and Adams—both SEC products—are always together in the locker room and usually on the same page.
In 2018, after Maye fell a yard short of a touchdown against the Denver Broncos, the LSU product had to give it to the Florida guy in the locker room. The constant ribbing between SEC alumni is a sight to behold at times.
BRUTAL ☹️
Marcus Maye just broke a record for longest INT return without a Touchdown… pic.twitter.com/CayJjr2zvP
— SquadQL (@SquadQL) October 7, 2018
Jamal Adams feeling a little certain way after LSU-Florida. Not Top 10 All Day Maye. #Jets @RobbySabo @TheAdamsEra @alldayMAYE pic.twitter.com/lDDRgyTgGU
— ESNY (@EliteSportsNY) October 7, 2018
“… and Marcus Maye did not pitch the ball,” Adams told reporters just loud enough for his safety brother to hear him. “I think he got caught by a lineman. It was a quarterback. He got caught on the one, but he’s definitely gonna be on (SportsCenter’s) Not Top 10.”
Welcome to the NFL, the place where all 32 general managers are a salve to the hardest salary-cap in professional sports history.
