NY Jets: Planning for a potential future without Marcus Maye

By Ian Roddy — 07/16/2021

It’s always smart to start planning ahead for the future. When it comes to the New York Jets‘ safety position, it appears that the time to start planning ahead is now.

The July 15 deadline for franchise-tagged players to sign a contract extension with their teams has come and gone without Marcus Maye inking a new deal with the Jets. This is becoming all too familiar for Jets fans, who are growing quite accustomed to bidding their favorite homegrown players farewell before they can sign a second contract with the team.

While this is unwelcomed news, it nevertheless means that the team must now start planning for life after Maye. Here are some different approaches to replacing him that the Jets might consider.

Draft a safety in 2022

Maye was not drafted into the NFL that long ago; he was the Jets’ second-round pick in 2017. Maye’s draft age (24) makes him older than most players entering the fifth year of an NFL career. Despite not having been in the league for all that long, he’s already 28 years old and fast approaching the dreaded 30-year-old mark.

Joe Douglas could be looking to get younger at the safety position. Where better to look than the NFL draft?

The 2022 draft class could feature an elite safety talent towards the very top. As it stands now, Kyle Hamilton of Notre Dame is seen as one of the class’ blue-chip prospects. However, the Jets would need to be drafting very highly to get him, which would also entail passing on other elite talents at other positions of need.

Let’s not forget, however, that the Jets possess the Seahawks’ first-round pick in 2022, which is currently projected to be somewhere in the twenties. This could be a perfect spot for Douglas to target Maye’s replacement.

Outside of Hamilton, the 2022 safety class features talented names like Brandon Joseph of Northwestern, Jordan Battle of Alabama, and Tykee Smith of Georgia. These players could all be worth monitoring throughout the upcoming college football season.

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