Marcus Maye is the last man standing.
Now that Jamal Adams has been traded to Seattle, Maye is the only remaining member of the Jets’ 2017 draft class, which was run by former general manager Mike Maccagnan.
While there’s no question that Adams was a home run pick by Maccagnan, his drafts have left a lot to be desired. Adams joins ArDarius Stewart, Chad Hansen, Jordan Leggett, Dylan Donahue, Elijah McGuire, Jeremy Clark and Derrick Jones as 2017 picks who have since moved on from New York. Maye, meanwhile, is now one of just 12 players left from Maccagnan’s draft classes between 2015 and 2019.
The Jets’ 2015 draft class no longer has a footprint on the team’s roster, while Jordan Jenkins and Maye are the team’s lone representatives from 2016 and 2017 draft classes, respectively.
Adams was certainly one of Maccagnan’s better draft picks as the team’s general manager. New York attempted to fix its woes in the 2017 draft by taking Adams and Maye in back to back rounds. While the plan was sound and the Jets saw a resurgence in their secondary, they were never going to be able to pay both safeties down the road.
At one point, Maye appeared to be the odd man out of the Jets’ future plans, especially when the Jets took Ashtyn Davis in the 2020 draft. At the time of the draft, a new deal with Adams still seemed possible.
With Adams’ wish granted and the All-Pro safety headed to Seattle, there’s an opportunity for Maye to step up and be New York’s go-to guy in the secondary. If he does so, he could be the one who ends up getting an extension from Douglas.