One thing that was obvious this offseason was that despite tension with Marcus Maye’s agent the franchise had no intention of letting their star safety go anywhere else. On Monday, the Jets proved it with their plans to place the franchise tag on Maye.
The tag will be around $10.5 million as reported by Rich Cimini. That amount which still may fluctuate once the salary cap has been set, was lower than most projections for the deal. The move gives both sides until July 15th to negotiate a long-term deal. If the two cannot agree to a deal Maye will play the next season for the above $10.5 million price point.
The move is no surprise as Marcus Maye after a strong 2020 campaign for the Jets tallying 82 combined tackles, 11 passes defended, two forced fumbles, two sacks, two interceptions and a fumble recovery. All of which are career-highs for the four year pro.
Jets General Manager Joe Douglas made it clear last week that the franchises goal is to lock up the Safety with a new long-term contract to keep him with the organization. After some time negotiating it was clear that the two sides would not have a decision by Tuesday’s deadline.
During negotiations Maye’s agent Erik Burkhardt, had some complaints of the Jets in which he aired out on Twitter, saying the Jets “refuse to take care of their best player, captain and team-voted MVP.”
Marcus Maye has been a steady leader for the Jets and has even seen increased productivity following the Jets trade of Jamaal Adams. The four year starter has also publically stated his desire to return with the franchise saying.
“Just being here four years, stepping in Day 1, I’ve loved this place, I’ve enjoyed the people here, the teammates. Even though there have been a lot of changes throughout my years here, I’ve always been the same person. I’ve always shown up to work excited and ready to go try to win a game for the Jets.”
Only time will tell whether both sides will come to an agreement by July 15th, but for now they can have confirmation that the Safety is part of their plans at least for the coming season.
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