8 potential replacements for NY Jets safety Marcus Maye this offseason

The NY Jets are going to have a decision to make on Marcus Maye this offseason. The long-tenured (at least by Jets standards) safety is set to be a free agent a year after being slapped with the franchise tag.

Maye's contract situation has long been a point of contention for both sides with the two parties at odds dating back to over a year ago at this point. But as of right now, it sure seems unlikely that Maye returns.

That's been the sentiment for a while now, really ever since the Jets placed the franchise tag on Maye last offseason. It never seemed as though the Jets had any plans of keeping Maye around long term.

And in hindsight, that might have been the correct decision. The former second-round pick is coming off the worst year of his career where he finished with a Pro Football Focus grade of 55.9 that ranked 81st out of 94 qualified safeties.

He played just six games before a torn Achilles cut his season short. 2021 was a disaster of a year for Maye and his lackluster play combined with his age and injury history should severely hinder his market value.

Still, it's hard to see him returning to New York even on a very team-friendly contract. That means the Jets will be in search of his replacement this offseason.

With realistically two starting safeties to add, the Jets will have their fair share of options. Let's take a look at eight potential replacements for Marcus Maye.

8. The NY Jets could draft Daxton Hill to replace Marcus Maye

If the Jets go the draft route, Michigan's Daxton Hill is an intriguing player they could look to add with one of their three Day 2 picks. At 6-foot, 192 pounds, Hill is very reminiscent of a young Devin McCourty.

His versatility is a major plus and saw him be used everywhere from single-high free safety to nickel cornerback to outside corner to even as a dime cornerback. He was Michigan's swiss army knife, and that could be very useful to this Jets defense.

Hill has superb instincts in coverage which allow him to read the quarterback's eyes and make plays in zone coverage. The biggest knock on his game is his overall lack of ball skills. He finished his college career with four interceptions but could have had even more if he learned to turn his head when the ball was thrown.

That said, Hill could be a very useful chess piece in the Jets' defense and step in as a day-one starter in place of Maye.

7. The NY Jets could sign Jordan Whitehead to replace Marcus Maye

I'd expect the Jets to be very active in the safety market this free-agency period, but outside of the top names (which we will get to momentarily), there aren't many standout options.

One suitable target could be Jordan Whitehead, currently of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Whitehead is a very different type of player than Maye in that he's more of a typical box safety who packs a punch but lacks the elite coverage skills to be much more.

A former fourth-round pick, Whitehead is one of the few holdovers from the bad years of the Bucs having started 55 of 59 games since entering the league in 2018. And he's been a pretty effective player over that time.

If the Jets add a more typical free safety either in free agency or the draft, Whitehead could serve as a good complement and make for an intriguing offseason target.

6. The NY Jets could draft Jalen Pitre to replace Marcus Maye

Even if the Jets address the safety position in free agency, it would make sense to see them target a player in the middle rounds of the draft as well. And one such target could be Baylor's Jalen Pitre.

Much like Daxton Hill, Pitre's versatility is one of his strongest selling points. The 2021 Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year was a menace around the line of scrimmage at Baylor making plays rushing the QB off the edge, lining up at nickel linebacker, in the slot, and when asked to drop back into coverage.

His size does hinder him at times as he's only 6-foot, 197 pounds. His tackling needs work and he can get bodied by larger tight ends if asked to match up 1-on-1.

Still, Pitre's athleticism and instincts give him a good foundation to build off of and it wouldn't be a surprise to see him outplay his draft stock at the next level. He's a player to keep an eye on for sure.

5. The NY Jets could draft Jordan Battle to replace Marcus Maye

Jordan Battle feels more like an Ashtyn Davis replacement than he does a Marcus Maye replacement. Even so, he's a player the Jets absolutely could look to target on Day 2.

Battle has good size for the position at 6-foot-1, 210 pounds and he uses that stature to provide a platform for his superb run defense. There may not be a better tackling and run defending safety in this class as Battle frequently takes the right angles and explodes on ball carriers.

He's no slouch in coverage either with the versatility to even play a little single-high safety, even if it's not his specialty. Behind the obvious top safety in this class (more on him later), Battle is making a strong case to be considered the second-best.

If the Jets are looking for a smart zone defender who can assist with their run defense at the second and third levels, Battle might be an ideal target.

4. The NY Jets could sign Justin Reid to replace Marcus Maye

Now for a couple more typical Marcus Maye replacements. Back to free agency here as we take a look at Houston Texans safety Justin Reid. Seen as one of the better safeties in football entering 2021, Reid is coming off of easily the worst season of his career.

The former third-round pick finished with a woeful Pro Football Focus grade of 51.8 that ranked 87th out of 94 qualified safeties. His underwhelming season culminated with a healthy scratch designation in the Texans' Week 12 game against the Jets for "disciplinary reasons."

Reid has the skill set to be a top player at his position as evidenced by his standout 2018 and 2019 seasons, but a disaster of a situation in Houston clearly took a toll on both his performance and mental state, as he's since admitted.

Still, you aren't going to find many better talents on the open market, and, assuming the Texans don't franchise tag him, Reid should have his fair share of suitors. Reid needs a change of scenery and the Jets could provide him with that.

3. The NY Jets could draft Verone McKinley III to replace Marcus Maye

One of my favorite Day 2/3 safety prospects is Oregon's Verone McKinley III. And if the Jets are looking for a true replacement for Marcus Maye, McKinley might just be the best bang for their buck.

Perhaps no safety in this class has better ball skills and turnover production than McKinley. The junior safety finished with a whopping six interceptions in 14 games this season after racking up five in his last 20 games.

He's a playmaker in every sense of the word. McKinley is able to force as many turnovers as he does because of his excellent instincts that help him dissect route combinations and read the quarterback's eyes.

He lacks the elite range to be counted on as a true single-high safety in most situations which could limit his versatility at the next level. But McKinley's talent shouldn't be overlooked in a pretty Day 2-heavy safety class.

2. The NY Jets could draft Kyle Hamilton to replace Marcus Maye

Now we get into the superstar options, starting with highly-touted Notre Dame safety Kyle Hamilton. Hamilton is the best safety prospect the NFL has seen since Jamal Adams, and he's an even better prospect.

At 6-foot-4, 220 pounds, Hamilton looks like he was made in a football factory. He has elite size for the position which he couples with otherworldly range and football IQ to make him perhaps the top overall player in this year's class.

It's rare to see a safety taken in the top-10, let alone the top-5, but that's just the caliber of prospect Hamilton is. This man is a franchise-changing talent and someone you could build a defense around.

Would the Jets actually use a top draft pick on a safety? That much remains to be seen. But if they want to make a huge splash at the position, the best way to do it would likely be to draft Kyle Hamilton.

1. The NY Jets could sign Marcus Williams to replace Marcus Maye

If the Jets don't want to go the Kyle Hamilton route and instead want to spend big on the position in free agency, their best option would be to pursue New Orleans Saints star Marcus Williams.

Assuming Jessie Bates doesn't hit the open market, Williams is set to be the lone true star at the position in free agency and one of the best overall free agents at any position.

Williams has elite range and is one of the best zone-coverage safeties in the NFL today. His 80.1 PFF grade ranked eighth among all qualified safeties in 2021, and, combined with his durability (he hasn't missed more than two games in any season), Williams seems like an ideal target for Joe Douglas and the Jets.

The Saints absolutely want to keep him, but seeing as though they already franchise tagged him last offseason and that they're set to be over $60 million over the salary cap, it seems unlikely they're able to.

The Jets should absolutely pounce if given the chance, even if they have to pay top dollar.