In an expected move, the Jets franchised tagged Marcus Maye on Monday night, keeping their star safety in the Big Apple for at least another season.
The Jets and Maye now have until July 15 to come to terms on a long-term contract, or else Maye will play the 2021 season on a one-year franchise tag tender. The Florida product has emerged as one of New York’s top defenders and is among the best safeties in football, making it likely that getting a contract extension done is on the top of Joe Douglas’ to-do list this offseason — even after Maye’s agent ripped the Jets for how they handled contract negotiations.
With Maye franchise tagged, the Jets are set to pay the 28-year-old an estimated $10.496 million in 2021, according to Over The Cap. That leaves New York with $67,341,082 in salary cap space, the second-most in the NFL, entering free agency. Only the Jaguars ($84,643,714) have more cap space than the Jets.
Now that Maye’s services are secured for 2021, Douglas can turn his attention to filling out a Jets roster that features holes across the board. More contract negotiations with Maye loom on the horizon, but before those can resume, Douglas is tasked with making the most of his financial resources to put together a competitive team for Robert Saleh to work with in his first season as New York’s head coach.
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