#Marcus Maye could be awkward winner in Jets’ Jamal Adams drama

No. 7: Marcus Maye

Last year’s ranking: 14

Position: S

Age on Opening Day: 27

How acquired: Selected in the second round of the 2017 Draft

Years left on contract: 1

2020 Salary Cap figure: $2 million

Looking back at 2019

After an injury-filled 2018 season, Maye was able to stay healthy all year, playing 99 percent of the team’s defensive snaps and starting all 16 games.

Maye showed his value for anyone who may have forgotten. He had 65 tackles, seven passes defensed, one interception and one tackle for loss.

Maye was one of the surest tacklers on the Jets defense. He made several critical tackles in the Jets win over the Cowboys in October where he was the only thing standing between Dallas and a few touchdowns. His best play of the year came in December against the Steelers when he made a critical pass breakup late in the fourth quarter in the end zone to preserve the Jets’ win.

PFF graded Maye 17th among the 85 safeties who qualified. He as 18th in coverage.

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Outlook for 2020

Maye often gets overshadowed by Jamal Adams, but he is a very good player in his own right. Maye was extremely valuable to Gregg Williams’ defense last year. He played nearly every snap and had some very good games.

This is a critical year for Maye. He will be a free agent after this season and he may be looking for a new team. Maye’s future is directly tied to what the Jets do with Adams. If the Jets lock Adams up to a big-money, long-term deal that likely means Maye is on the way out. While Maye won’t command the money Adams will, he still is in line for a significant pay bump after this year. It is hard to imagine Joe Douglas committing a high percentage of his salary cap to safety. The Jets also drafted Ashtyn Davis in the third round and Davis has a similar skill set to Adams.

If the Jets end up trading Adams, then it is possible Maye could convince the Jets he is worth a long-term investment.

Maye’s primary value to the Jets is on the field. He is a very good deep safety. But he also plays a role off the field which may be critical in the coming weeks. Maye and Adams are very close and also very different. They balance each other out nicely. When Adams lets his emotions run wild, Maye can sometimes rein him in. Maye is not going to get involved in Adams’ business but if Adams ends up coming to camp and realizing he is not getting the contract he wants this year, Maye might be able to convince Adams how important he is to the team and that it would help the team for him to put business aside until after the season. That might not work, but Maye is one player Adams listens to.