Marcus Maye wants more, and you can make a good argument that he deserves more.
Above all, Maye wants to win. He, too, wants long-term financial security.
Maye’s performance on the field — he’s the longest-tenured player on the roster in his fifth season as the Jets’ starting safety — has warranted both.
The question, though, is if he’ll ever achieve both (or either) while with the Jets.
It’s a fair question considering the fact that team management low-balled Maye during offseason contract negotiations (leaving him without a long-term deal and playing on a franchise tag for 2021) and because the title “babysitter’’ might as well be printed on his business card right next to “starting safety.’’
Maye, who will be playing this year for his third different Jets coaching staff, is the lone veteran presence with any experience in a secondary that’s littered with rookies and riddled with uncertainty.
He was clearly dismayed when the Jets cut cornerback Bless Austin, a projected starter for the second consecutive season, on Wednesday.
“It was surprising for me,’’ Maye said after practice Thursday. “I didn’t see it coming at all. I don’t think anybody did. It was tough. He’s been a starter for us. So, I guess we’ve just got to figure out what’s next now.’’
What’s next are a group of neophyte cornerbacks, Javelin Guidry (23 years old, 11 NFL games, two starts) and four rookies — Brandin Echols (23 years old), Jason Pinnock (22), Michael Carter II (22) and Isaiah Dunn (24) — who will battle it out next week for the starting spot opposite Bryce Hall, who’s 23 and has played in just eight NFL games.
Maye said he “sometimes’’ thinks about the fact he’s a longest-tenured player on the roster at age 28 “and it does feel weird only being here five years.’’
“But I’ve got to come in and adjust, learn a new way, learn on the fly, and that’s what I’ve been doing,’’ he said.
This is a challenging time for Maye, who’s in win-now mode after having lost for the past four seasons, and yet head coach Robert Saleh and general manager Joe Douglas spent much of Wednesday trying to lower fans’ expectations for this season, based on the youth of the team.
The latest oft-used buzzword is “development,’’ which feels like a symbolic raising of a white flag on the season.
When Maye was asked about that touchy dynamic, he offered a rather damning (but true) assessment of the team in his four years in green.
“It’s kind of been like that since I’ve been here — each year learning to adapt to what’s new,’’ he said. “You can’t sit here and worry about what year guys are in, how many years they’ve been playing. We’ve all got to find a way to get on the same page as fast as possible so we can go out and win games.’’
Maye’s 2021 season hasn’t begun yet and he already has lived through the disappointment of not being offered a fair contract in the offseason despite Douglas publicly saying that locking him up long term was a priority.
The Jets reportedly offered Maye no more than about $9 million a year, which is nearly half the price top NFL safeties are being paid. Once the July deadline for signing extensions passed and nothing was done, Maye agreed to play for the $10,612,000 franchise tag in 2021.
“Once that was over with it was about putting it to the side and getting back to basics, getting back to playing football, learning new coaches, new teammates, new scheme,’’ Maye said. “Once you get on the grass, you don’t worry about anything else other than just trying to get better.’’
Still, Maye has sat quietly and watched Jamal Adams, his former Jets teammate who is now with Seattle, recently become the league’s highest-paid safety, with a $17.5 million average and $38 million guaranteed. The Vikings’ Harrison Smith signed a deal that pays him $16 million on average with $26.5 million guaranteed.
“I see them when they come to my phone,’’ Maye said when asked if he has paid attention to the market. “But I let my agent do all that stuff.’’
Is he hopeful that he’ll get his money and security?
“One day,’’ Maye said wistfully.
Saleh, on Thursday, said he has a “a lot of respect’’ for Maye putting his head down and working without complaint despite not getting the contract he wanted “because I’m sure he wants more.’’
“But the greatest challenge to all people is whether or not they can compartmentalize between the things you’ve got control of and the things you do not,’’ Saleh said. “What he’s got control over is dominating the year 2021 on the football field and letting his contract take care of itself in ’22.
“The fact that he’s been able to do that, put the work that he’s put in, there’s no doubt he’s going to kick butt.’’
