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

NY Jets, Marcus Maye
NY Jets, Marcus Maye / Al Pereira/Getty Images
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The NY Jets made many significant moves this offseason, but their earliest notable transaction was franchise-tagging veteran safety Marcus Maye.

Maye, the team's second-round pick after drafting Jamal Adams back in 2017, has proven to be a good and reliable starter in the defensive backfield during his time with Gang Green.

However, most Jets fans would tell you that, although a very solid player, Maye still has not reached that elite status that only a few safeties in the league can claim.

Likewise, Maye should not be paid like an elite safety, which, using salary figures from, would be a contract with an Average Annual Value (AAV) of about $14-16 million.

With little progress made between general manager Joe Douglas and Maye in contract talks, the possibility of trading away Maye arises.

But how good is Maye really? Or rather, how valuable is Maye to this team?

In-depth looks at Maye and, perhaps more importantly, the rest of the defensive backfield show that Maye is actually a necessity for not just this season, but for the next few seasons as well.