NY Jets: Marcus Maye's agent hints at future trade deadline swap

The NY Jets are set to be without star safety Marcus Maye for the next 3-4 weeks as he recovers from an ankle injury, as NFL Network's Ian Rapoport reported on Wednesday.

Maye remains one of the best players on the Jets roster, even after an offseason that featured some tension between the two sides.

Eyeing a contract extension, Maye was undoubtedly frustrated when the Jets decided to place the franchise tag on him, and that frustration grew when a new deal wasn't reached this summer.

His agent, Erik Burkhardt, took to Twitter in the offseason to bash the Jets for their handling of the situation. Now, following Maye's injury, Burkhardt has once again sparked trade rumors about his client.

In a response to Rapoport's tweet, Burkhardt indicated that Maye would be "back fully healthy just before the trade deadline."

It isn't difficult to understand what Burkhardt is implying there.

The NY Jets could trade Marcus Maye at the trade deadline

While many fans might not like to hear it, it's become increasingly apparent that the Jets don't plan to re-sign Maye at any point. At least not at the price tag he is asking for and will likely receive from another team.

The Jets reportedly offered Maye a deal worth around $9 million per season in the offseason which can't be seen as anything other than a low-ball offer. That's about half the contract the top safeties in the NFL are receiving.

Maye was never going to agree to that, and the Jets likely knew this.

They've shown no indication that they plan to bring him back. After all, extending a 29-year-old safety doesn't seem like a move out of Joe Douglas' roster-building strategy.

If the Jets don't plan to extend Maye, then it would certainly make sense to trade him at the deadline to recoup assets. Keep in mind, it's unlikely Maye will count toward a compensatory draft pick with the Jets likely to be active in free agency again next offseason.

As for what the Jets might actually receive in return for Maye if they decided to trade him, it's hard to imagine them getting anything close to fair value.

Maye is in the final year of his deal and would likely be nothing more than a half-year rental for whatever team acquires him. The Jets would be lucky to get a second-round pick, but we're realistically talking even less, in all likelihood.

It wouldn't be a huge surprise if Maye had played his final game with the Jets. That's just the reality of the situation.

Expect trade rumors surrounding Marcus Maye to heat up even more as the deadline draws nearer. Right now is just the calm before the storm.