Jets Rumors: Marcus Maye Receives Franchise Tag Ahead of 2021 NFL Free Agency

The New York Jets placed the franchise tag on safety Marcus Maye on Monday, per Adam Schefter of ESPN. The tag is worth roughly $10.5 million, Schefter added.

The move likely keeps Maye with the team that drafted him in the second round back in 2017.

It's not exactly surprising, as general manager Joe Douglas said in his end-of-season press conference that working out a new contract for the 28-year-old was "one of the priorities of our offseason."

NFL sources told Ralph Vacchiano of SNY that they believed the Jets would use the franchise tag on Maye.

The Florida product had a career year in 2020, with 11 passes defended, two forced fumbles, a pair of interceptions and a fumble recovery to go with 88 combined tackles (four for loss) and two quarterback hits. In his third season as a 16-game starter, he posted career highs in every category.

Maye spoke fondly of his time in New York in January, when he said he felt like "the core" was set with the team despite a miserable 2-14 season.

"Just being here four years, stepping in day one, I've loved this place," he said. "I've enjoyed the people here, the teammates. Even though there have been a lot of changes throughout my years here, I've always been the same person, I've always shown up to work excited and ready to go try to win a game for the Jets."

Getting Maye back is a strong start for a team that has a long way to go defensively this offseason.