Did Jets hold Marcus Maye back during career year in 2020?
Marcus Maye is coming off a career year, but questions remain about his worth and whether the Jets should pay him like one of the best safeties in the NFL. Its hard to say given the complexity and fluidity of the Gregg Williams system over the past two seasons. The loss of Jamal Adams in 2020 also coincided with Mayes performance taking a major leap. Take Week 1 last season, for instance. Maye took over Adams strong safety role for the first time against the Bills after mostly playing free safety during his previous three seasons. He finished with one of his best individual game performances with two sacks, 10 total tackles, two defended passes and one forced fumble. He tallied three pressures on seven pass-rush snaps, per Jets X-Factors Michael Nania, and his 57.1 percent success rate was more than quadruple his game average from 2017-2019. That production didnt continue consistently over the next 15 games, but Maye proved more than capable of filling Adams shoes as a versatile safety who excels in coverage in the deep secondary and in the box as an efficient tackler in run-support and pass-rushing. He totaled 88 combined tackles, four tackles for a loss, 11 defended passes, those two sacks and one forced fumble last year. Maye pivoted between strong safety and free safety throughout the season, which likely attributed to his up-and-down production. He also played in one of the worst secondaries in the league in 2020. The Jets allowed the fifth-most passing yards, third-highest completion percentage and the eight-most yards per passing attempt. But nevertheless, Mayes 2020 tape was good enough for Saleh to outright call him a strong safety a few months after the Jets hired him to be their head coach. Saleh called Maye very versatile, in March because he can come down in the box, he can play in the middle of the field, he can play the half.  Thats an important note for a coach that built his scheme off Pete Carrolls Seattle defense and added another Carroll disciple in Jeff Ulbrich. It signals a specific role for Maye  one that highlights the safetys strengths and provides a glimpse of the next level of his potential at the position. Saleh and Ulbrich will likely run a lot of Cover-4 with two safeties taking over the middle of the field. Thats Mayes bread and butter. He can sit back on deep passing plays, sink closer to the middle of the field to cover tight ends and crossing routes, or even attack run plays if needed. The Jets will likely incorporate some three-safety looks as well, which Maye should be able to cycle in with Ashtyn Davis and Lamarcus Joyner. Mayes contract situation will be decided before he gets to play a snap in this defense, but the tape on him should tell the Jets they need to lock him in long-term. Saleh and Joe Douglas have already stated their desire to keep Maye; it all comes down to money. This might be a situation where the Jets have to pay Maye based on his potential production in a new defense rather than his past production in a worse one, but its a risk they should take rather than letting his future with the Jets linger for another full season. Maye isnt a top-10 safety right now. But given his fit in the Jets new defense. he could turn into one by the seasons end.