NY Jets: Re-signing Marcus Maye is a ‘priority’ according to Joe Douglas

NY Jets’ general manager Joe Douglas said that re-signing Marcus Maye is a priority.

The NY Jets will have plenty of difficult decisions to make this offseason, but one of their easier choices has to do with the future of safety Marcus Maye.

Maye is set to hit free agency for the first time in his career and will likely be looking for a significant payday given that this might be his only opportunity to do so. The Jets don’t have many notable pending free agents, but Maye is most definitely atop that list.

While the two sides still have another couple of months to work out a new contract, there have been subtle hints to this point that Maye will be sticking around. And on Tuesday, those hints grew into more of a true indicator.

General manager Joe Douglas met with the media to discuss the Jets’ future and the state of the team when he was asked about Maye and if the organization plans to re-sign him in the offseason.

Douglas responded by calling Maye one of the Jets’ top priorities reiterating that they will do everything they can to bring him back. This was a far cry from his comments about quarterback Sam Darnold which remained non-committal, at best.

This came just one day after Maye said that he “loved it” in New York and was more than open to a return. However, he did point out that the decision wasn’t completely up to him.

But with both Douglas and Maye seemingly interested in a reunion, there’s optimism that a deal will get done sooner rather than later.

The NY Jets saw the best version of Marcus Maye in 2020

After three seasons as a solid, above-average starter, Maye broke out in 2020 emerging as one of the best and most underrated safeties in football. He set new career-highs in virtually every statistic and finished as Pro Football Focus‘ No. 4 overall safety.

Maye was truly one of the best safeties in the NFL this past year, and it came at a great time too with the former Florida standout needing a new contract. With plenty of holes on their roster, it would likely be in the Jets’ best interest to retain him this offseason.

Obviously, a lot will depend on how his market develops. But even despite his stellar play, he’s not exactly expected to break the bank either.

Regardless, Marcus Maye wants to remain with the Jets and Joe Douglas has indicated that there’s mutual interest.

That’s good news for Jets fans looking to see one of the team’s longest-tenured players return in 2021.