FLORHAM PARK, New Jersey – Safety Marcus Maye, who turns 28 on Tuesday, received a birthday present from the New York Jets: the franchise label, a source told ESPN’s Adam Schefter.
Maye, ready to become an unrestricted free agent for the first time, is the first Jets player since defensive end Muhammad Wilkerson (2016) to get the designation.
The amount of the franchise label for a security is about $ 10.5 million, which will be the salary guaranteed by Maye in 2021 if the two parties cannot reach a long-term agreement before May 15. July. million during his first four seasons.
CEO Joe Douglas said last week the organization’s goal is to close Maye with a new contract. The Jets have $ 77 million of maximum space, according to OverTheCap.com, but were unable to reach an agreement before Tuesday’s deadline at 4 p.m.
Maye’s agent Erik Burkhardt criticized the Jets last week on Twitter, saying the Jets “refuse to take care of their best player, captain and team-chosen MVP.”
Douglas insisted the bitterness will have no impact on the negotiations, saying the two sides have held “productive talks”.
“Look, that’s part of the business, that’s part of the negotiation,” he said. “I don’t see this affecting our ability to do something with Marcus that is beneficial to both him and the team.”
Four-year-old Maye blossomed last season as the undisputed high school leader. Playing unsafe for the first time on Jamal Adams (the unfortunate Adams was moved to the Seattle Seahawks before training camp), Maye recorded two interceptions, two sacks and two forced fumbles.
Known for her calm and consistent presence, Maye abandoned her character after last season’s last-minute loss to the Las Vegas Raiders, openly criticizing defensive coordinator Gregg Williams for calling for the Raiders’ victory. . a tactic that seemed overly aggressive. The next day, Williams was fired.
The blow to Maye is his lack of interceptions: only six in his first four seasons, which ranks 28th in the safe position.