Why the NY Jets can't afford to lose safety Marcus Maye

Marcus Maye is the NY Jets' most reliable player

Maye may not be elite, but he is surely a very strong player in an otherwise very weak defensive backfield.

For his 2018, '19, and '20 seasons, Pro Football Focus (PFF) has given him grades of 80.0, 74.5, and 82.9 respectively, all of which are solid to high marks for a player.

This past season saw not just a high PFF grade but also high stats elsewhere.

In 2020, Maye posted 11 pass deflections, two interceptions (both of which were fantastic plays), two forced fumbles, nearly 100 tackles, and a few tackles for loss and sacks.

Maye was all over the field last season and played a large role in just about every game for the NY Jets, with his most notable contribution likely being a game-winning pass deflection against the Los Angeles Rams back in Week 15.

In fact, Maye was so good this year that Tyler Sullivan of CBS Sports ranked Maye the sixth-best safety in football, citing the safety's "58.7 completion percentage and 80.4 passer rating" allowed as big reasons why.

Potential concerns about Maye include his age (he turned 28 this past March) and his partial injury proneness.

But as noted in a previous article of mine, safeties are one of the positions least affected by age — many of the league's best at the position play well into their 30s.

As for his injury propensity, Maye has actually only missed time with an injury once in his career, which happened back in 2018. Overall, he has started a very respectable 54 of possible 64 games.

So, Maye is a very good player whose age and injury history should not be of concern. Why should that warrant a potential overpay?

The answer to that question lies with the players around Maye.