Uh-oh. Another Jets safety is not thrilled with the way contract negotiations are going.
That’s assuming Marcus Maye and his agent, Erik Burkhardt, are on the same page. Burkhardt took to Twitter Tuesday night to express his displeasure for what he perceives to be the Jets’ unwillingness to get a long-term deal done with his client.
…Yet refuse to take care of their best player, Captain, & team-voted MVP in his prime who had several All-Pro votes…and who played out his entire rookie deal and even changed positions on his contract year (after they got rid of last yrs All-Pro safety). ✌🏼
— Erik Burkhardt (@ErikBurkhardt) March 3, 2021
Tuesday marked a week remaining before the deadline for teams to designate franchise or transition tags on their pending free agents. Maye hinted at that on his Twitter account on Tuesday.
1 week!
— Marcus Maye (@alldayMAYE) March 2, 2021
Jets GM Joe Douglas claimed after the 2020 regular season that re-signing Maye would be a “priority” for Gang Green this offseason. The Jets have until March 9 to place the franchise or transition tag on Maye. Tagging Maye would cost New York around $11.196 million, according to Over The Cap.
The tag would buy New York time to work out a long-term deal, as Maye would hit the open market at the start of the new league year on March 17 without a tag. From there, the Jets have a hard deadline of 4 p.m. on July 15 to work out a contract extension. If the two sides cannot agree by then, Maye would have to play out the 2021 season on the tag.
Maye is coming off a career year. In coverage, the veteran safety allowed 22 receptions on 36 targets for 229 yards with four touchdowns and two interceptions. He also added 88 total tackles, 11 passes defended and two sacks. As his agent noted, Maye was a captain, was voted team MVP, and experimented with his versatility in the secondary after Jamal Adams forced his way out of town last summer.
While a resolution could be coming sooner than later, the Jets shouldn’t risk alienating yet another safety. We’ll see if Burkhardt’s critical comments move the needle one way or another.
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