NY Jets 'highly unlikely' to re-sign Marcus Maye this offseason

The NY Jets will have important decisions to make on a number of pending free agents this offseason. But perhaps the most high-profile of them all is safety Marcus Maye.

The longest-tenured member of the roster, Maye has been with the Jets since 2017 when he was selected in the second round of the 2017 NFL Draft.

Since then, Maye has gone on to start 60 games over five years, establishing himself as an above-average starting safety. But after a career year in 2020, Maye took a step back in 2021 with a torn Achilles cutting his season short.

Now set to hit the open market for the first time in his career, it seems unlikely that the Jets bring him back. That was the sentiment shared by The Athletic's Connor Hughes who recently remarked that it was "highly unlikely" that the Jets re-signed Maye this offseason.

Don't expect the NY Jets to re-sign Marcus Maye

Hughes went into detail about how Maye's off-field and injury concerns have complicated what was already a contentious situation between him and the Jets organization.

"Sometimes it’s just best if two sides go in opposite directions. I wasn’t ever one to rule out Marcus Maye re-signing with the Jets after they slapped him with the franchise tag, but the non-reported DUI this offseason, combined with a ruptured Achilles’ tendon, changes all of that."

- Connor Hughes

Following a standout 2020 season that saw him ranked as one of the top five safeties in the NFL by Pro Football Focus, the Jets opted to place the franchise tag on Maye rather than coming to terms on a long-term extension.

In hindsight, that seems like the correct move for the organization. Maye regressed significantly in 2021 and, combined with his Achilles injury and his DUI arrest that went unreported to the Jets or the NFL, it's safe to say that his stock has fallen tremendously.

Maye was looking for top-five safety money last offseason — rightfully so after a top-five season. Now, he'll be lucky to receive anything more than a one-year prove-it deal from some team.

That team, in all likelihood, won't be the Jets. Marcus Maye had a good five-year run in New York, but his time with the organization has likely come to an end.