FLORHAM PARK, NJ – Safety Marcus Maye, who turns 28 Tuesday, received an early birthday present from the New York Jets: The franchise tag, a source told ESPN’s Adam Schefter.
Ready to become an unrestricted free agent for the first time, Maye is the first Jets player since the defensive ending Muhammad Wilkerson (2016) to receive the designation.
The franchise tag amount for a security is estimated to be $ 10.5 million, which will be Maye’s guaranteed salary for 2021 if the two sides fail to reach a long-term deal by July 15. A second round in 2017, Maye made $ 6.6 million over his first four seasons.
General manager Joe Douglas said last week that the organization’s goal is to lock Maye on a new contract, but they have apparently decided they would not reach an agreement by Tuesday’s 4:00 pm deadline. That deadline could reportedly be postponed while the salary ceiling is being finalized.
Maye’s agent, Erik Burkhardt, was critical of the Jets on Twitter last week, saying the Jets “refuse to provide their best player, captain and MVP chosen by the team.”
Douglas insisted the bitterness will not affect the negotiations, saying the two sides have had “productive talks”.
“See, this is part of business, negotiation,” he said. “I don’t see this as affecting our ability to get anything done with Marcus that is beneficial for both him and the team.”
A four-year starter, Maye flourished last season as the undisputed leader of the secondary. Playing without safety Jamal Adams for the first time – the hapless Adams was traded to the Seattle Seahawks for training camp – Maye recorded two interceptions, two sacks and two forced fumbles.
Known for his calm, steady presence, Maye stepped out of character after a last-second loss at the end of the season to the Las Vegas Raiders, openly criticizing defensive coordinator Gregg Williams for calling out a total blitz on the winning touchdown from the Raiders – a tactic that seemed overly aggressive. The next day, Williams was fired.
The knock on Maye is his lack of interceptions – just six in his first four seasons, ranking 28th among protections.