A loss to the Colts has become even more costly
Per Ian Rapoport of NFL Network, the New York Jets will be missing starting safety Marcus Maye for the rest of the season after the defender tore his achilles during Thursday’s 45-30 loss to the Indianapolis Colts.
Rapoport’s report further reveals that tight end Tyler Kroft suffered a lung laceration and will miss multiple weeks, though he should return before the 2021 season lets out.
This well could be the end of the New York line for Maye, who was playing this season on a $10.6 million franchise tag. He has been seeking a long-term deal, one the Jets have been reluctant to bestow.
Maye tallied 46 tackles (one sack) over six games this season, previously missing October contests against Tennessee and Atlanta with an ankle ailment. He left the Indianapolis game in the third quarter, as he headed to the locker room with a non-contact injury and did not return.
The Florida alum is one of the longest-tenured Jets on the roster, having been with the team since they chose him in the second round of the 2017 draft.
Head coach Robert Saleh admitted in the immediate aftermath that Maye’s injury “(did) not look good.”
“I’m more concerned for Marcus than what we’ll do defensively to try to fill that void,” Saleh said, per the Jets PR department. “He’s a fantastic young man. He’s done everything we’ve asked him to do. I’m sick for him.”
Maye’s friend and former teammate Jamal Adams, now of the Seattle Seahawks, expressed support for him on Twitter as his journey back begins.
CAN’T WAIT TO WITNESS THE COMEBACK! #Prez @alldayMAYE 🏁 https://t.co/04rpqukX19
— Jamal Adams (@Prez) November 5, 2021
Meanwhile, Kroft left the game after a showstopping catch in the late stages of the first half, a 26-yard haul that set up a Matt Ammendola field goal. He was injured on the tackle by Darius Leonard and likewise did not return.
Kroft had a season-high 38 yards on a pair of receptions on Thursday and previously scored the game-winning touchdown in the Jets’ 34-31 win over Cincinnati last Sunday.
Tyler Kroft got hurt on this play, but man what a catch
(via @NFL)pic.twitter.com/Vx0rIJkR7f
— Jets Videos (@snyjets) November 5, 2021
The Jets (2-6) return to action next Sunday afternoon in a divisional showdown with the Buffalo Bills (1 p.m. ET, CBS).
Geoff Magliocchetti is on Twitter @GeoffJMags
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