Marcus Maye
refer to caption
Maye with the New York Jets in 2017
No. 6 – New Orleans Saints
Position:Safety
Personal information
Born: (1993-03-09) March 9, 1993 (age 30)
Melbourne, Florida, U.S.
Height:6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)
Weight:207 lb (94 kg)
Career information
High school:Holy Trinity Episcopal Academy
(Melbourne, Florida)
College:Florida (2012–2016)
NFL Draft:2017 / Round: 2 / Pick: 39
Career history
Roster status:Active
Career highlights and awards
Career NFL statistics as of Week 18, 2023
Total tackles:409
Sacks:4.5
Pass deflections:28
Interceptions:8
Forced fumbles:5
Fumble recoveries:1
Player stats at NFL.com · PFR

Marcus Maye (born March 9, 1993) is an American football safety for the New Orleans Saints of the National Football League (NFL). He previously played for the New York Jets. He played college football at Florida. Maye is a native of Melbourne, Florida.[1] Maye has been praised for his versatility[2][3] and was selected first-team All-American by USA Today.[4]

Early years

Maye attended and played high school football at Holy Trinity Episcopal Academy.[5]

College career

Maye played college football at the University of Florida.[3] He redshirted in 2012.[6] As a freshman in 2013, he played in 8 games, making 16 tackles and an interception. As a sophomore in 2014, he played 11 games with 62 tackles, 5 passes defended, 2 forced fumbles, and an interception. As a junior in 2015, Maye played 12 games with 77 tackles, 4 passes defended, 2 forced fumbles, and 2 interceptions. As a senior in 2016, he played 9 games with 50 tackles, a sack, and an interception.[7]

Collegiate statistics

Marcus Maye Tackles Interceptions Fumbles
Season Team Conf Class Pos GP Solo Ast Comb TfL Sck Int Yds Avg TD PD FR FF
2013 Florida SEC FR DB 8 11 5 16 1.0 0.0 1 30 30.0 0 0 0 0
2014 Florida SEC SO DB 11 38 24 62 3.0 0.0 1 1 1.0 0 5 0 2
2015 Florida SEC JR DB 12 43 34 77 1.0 0.0 2 0 0.0 0 6 2 4
2016 Florida SEC SR DB 9 29 21 50 1.5 1.0 1 6 6.0 0 5 0 0
Career 40 121 84 205 6.5 1.0 5 37 7.4 0 16 2 6

Professional career

Prr-draft

Maye received an invitation to the NFL Combine, but opted to not perform drills and wait until his pro day. At Florida's Pro Day, he chose to perform all of the combine drills except the bench press and completed positional drills for team representatives and scouts. NFL draft experts and analysts projected him to be a second round draft pick. He was ranked as the fourth best free safety in the draft by NFLDraftScout.com, was ranked the seventh best safety by ESPN, and the eighth best safety by Sports Illustrated.[8][9]

External videos
video icon Marcus Maye's NFL combine workout
Pre-draft measurables
Height Weight Arm length Hand span 40-yard dash 10-yard split 20-yard split 20-yard shuttle Three-cone drill Vertical jump Broad jump
5 ft 11+3⁄4 in
(1.82 m) 		210 lb
(95 kg) 		32+1⁄2 in
(0.83 m) 		9+1⁄8 in
(0.23 m)		 4.47 s 1.57 s 2.71 s 4.18 s 7.07 s 33.5 in
(0.85 m)		 9 ft 10 in
(3.00 m)
All values from Florida's Pro Day/Measurables from NFL Combine[10][11][12]

New York Jets

External videos
video icon Jets select Marcus Maye 39th overall
video icon Marcus Maye's NFL Draft Profile

2017

The New York Jets selected Maye in the second round (39th overall) of the 2017 NFL Draft.[13] He was the second safety selected by the Jets after they selected LSU's Jamal Adams sixth overall.[14][15][16]

On May 23, 2017, the Jets signed Maye to a four-year, $6.55 million contract with $3.66 million guaranteed and a signing bonus of $2.90 million.[17][18]

He entered training camp competing against Jamal Adams and Calvin Pryor to be one of the starting safeties.[19] Head coach Todd Bowles named Maye the starting free safety to begin the regular season, alongside strong safety Jamal Adams.[20]

He made his professional regular season debut and first career start in the New York Jets season-opener at the Buffalo Bills and recorded seven combined tackles during a 21–12 loss.[21] In Week 5, Maye recorded four combined tackles, deflected a pass, and made his first career interception off a pass by quarterback Kevin Hogan in the Jets' 17–14 victory at the Cleveland Browns.[22] On October 22, 2017, he collected a season-high seven combined tackles, broke up a pass, and intercepted a pass attempt by Jay Cutler in the Jets' 31–28 loss at the Miami Dolphins.[23] In Week 15, Maye made a season-high tying seven combined tackles during a 31–19 loss at the New Orleans Saints.[24] Maye finished his rookie season in 2017 with 79 combined tackles (57 solo), two pass deflections, and two interceptions in 16 starts.[25]

2018

Maye missed the first three games of 2018 due to a foot injury, but returned in Week 4 as the Jets starting free safety.[26][27] During Week 5 against the Denver Broncos, Maye intercepted Case Keenum and returned it 104 yards but was a yard shy of scoring a touchdown. Time expired anyhow and the Jets won 34–16. The interception set the NFL record for longest interception return without scoring a touchdown.[28][29] He then suffered a broken thumb the following week against the Indianapolis Colts and missed the next game. He returned in Week 8, playing in the next three games before suffering a shoulder injury in Week 10 against the Bills. He was placed on injured reserve on December 1, 2018, ending an injury-plagued season for Maye.[30][31]

2019

Maye in a game against the Washington Redskins

Maye changed his number from 26 to 20 to accommodate the signing of Le'Veon Bell.[32] In week 16 against the Pittsburgh Steelers, Maye recorded an interception off a pass thrown by Devlin Hodges late in the fourth quarter to seal a 16–10 Jets' win. This was Maye's first interception of the season.[33] In the 2019 season, Maye started in all 16 games. He finished with 65 total tackles, one interception, and seven passes defended.[34]

2020

During Week 1 against the Bills, Maye recorded a team high 10 tackles, two sacks, two quarterback hits, two tackles for loss, two passes defensed, and one forced fumble as the Jets lost 17–27.[35] In Week 6 against the Dolphins, Maye recorded his first interception of the season off a pass thrown by Ryan Fitzpatrick by placing the ball between his hand and his backside during the 24–0 loss.[36] In Week 11 against the Los Angeles Chargers, Maye forced a fumble on wide receiver Keenan Allen at the goal line which was recovered by teammate Ashtyn Davis during the 34–28 loss.[37] In the 2020 season, he started in all 16 games. He finished with two sacks, 88 total tackles, two interceptions, 11 passes defended, and two forced fumbles.[38]

2021

The Jets placed the franchise tag on Maye on March 9, 2021.[39] He signed the one-year tender on March 22, 2021.[40] On November 9, 2021, Maye was placed on injured reserve after suffering a torn Achilles in Week 9.[41]

New Orleans Saints

On March 16, 2022, the New Orleans Saints signed Maye to a three-year, $28.5 million contract.[42][43] In the 2022 season, he appeared in and started in ten games. He finished with 60 total tackles, two passes defended, and one forced fumble.[44]

On September 20, 2023, Maye was suspended for three games in response to a violation of the NFL's substance abuse policy.[45] He was placed on injured reserve on December 6.[46]

NFL career statistics

Legend
Led the league
Bold Career high

Regular season

Year Team Games Tackles Interceptions Fumbles
GP GS Cmb Solo Ast Sck PD Int Yds Avg Lng TD FF FR Yds TD
2017 NYJ 16 16 79 57 22 0.0 2 2 44 22.0 32 0 1 0 0 0
2018 NYJ 6 6 34 30 4 0.5 2 1 104 104.0 104 0 1 0 0 0
2019 NYJ 16 16 65 50 15 0.0 7 1 0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0 0
2020 NYJ 16 16 88 52 36 2.0 11 2 0 0.0 0 0 2 1 0 0
2021 NYJ 6 6 46 30 16 1.0 2 0 0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0 0
2022 NO 10 10 60 42 18 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0
Career 70 70 372 261 111 3.5 26 6 148 24.7 104 0 5 1 0 0

Legal issues

On October 4, 2021, it was announced that Maye was facing charges in a DUI arrest and car crash that occurred back in February 2021.[47]

On September 1, 2022, Maye was arrested for aggravated assault with a firearm and was booked into Jefferson Parish Correctional Center in Louisiana. He was released from jail after posting a $30,000 bond. The incident occurred due to a road rage event in which Maye was alleged to have charged the victims car naked. Cops say Maye was driving a black SUV when he was accused of pointing a gun at a car full of "several juvenile females". Local bystanders were able to subdue Maye until officers responded.[48]

References

  1. ^ Barlis, Jeff (July 18, 2011). "UF picks up 15th verbal commitment". Gainesville Sun. Retrieved November 6, 2023.
  2. ^ McPherson, Jordan (November 19, 2015). "UF free safety Marcus Maye may be Gators' most versatile playmaker". OrlandoSentinel.com. Retrieved October 9, 2023.
  3. ^ a b de la Torre, Nick (September 30, 2015). "Marcus Maye puts Florida Gators before himself". GatorCountry.com. Retrieved November 5, 2023.
  4. ^ Myerberg, Paul (December 8, 2015). "USA TODAY Sports All-America college football teams". USA TODAY. Retrieved October 9, 2023.
  5. ^ Long, Corey (April 1, 2011). "Long: Florida recruiting notebook". ESPN.com. Retrieved November 2, 2018.
  6. ^ "Marcus Maye". Florida Gators Athletics. Retrieved October 4, 2017.
  7. ^ "Marcus Maye College Stats". College Football at Sports-Reference.com. Retrieved November 2, 2018.
  8. ^ Burke, Chris (April 25, 2017). "2017 NFL Draft Rankings: Top Prospects by Position". si.com. Retrieved May 26, 2017.
  9. ^ Legwold, Jeff (April 22, 2017). "Ranking the 2017 Draft's Top 100 Prospects". ESPN.com. Retrieved May 26, 2017.
  10. ^ "Marcus Maye Draft and Combine Prospect Profile". NFL.com. Retrieved May 26, 2017.
  11. ^ "Marcus Maye, Florida, FS, 2017 NFL Draft Scout, NCAA College Football". draftscout.com. Retrieved May 26, 2017.
  12. ^ "2017 Combine Workout: Marcus Maye". chiefs.com. Retrieved April 23, 2021.
  13. ^ "2017 NFL Draft Listing". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved May 17, 2023.
  14. ^ Lange, Randy (April 28, 2017). "Jets Take Another S, Marcus Maye, in Rd. 2". NewYorkJets.com. Archived from the original on September 25, 2017. Retrieved April 28, 2017.
  15. ^ Mehta, Manish (April 29, 2017). "Jets picking safeties in first two rounds of NFL Draft makes no sense". New York Daily News. Retrieved April 29, 2017.
  16. ^ Greenberg, Ethan (April 28, 2017). "5 Things to Know About Marcus Maye". New York Jets. Archived from the original on September 25, 2017. Retrieved April 29, 2017.
  17. ^ Lange, Randy (May 23, 2017). "Jets Sign Marcus Maye, Dylan Donahue". NewYorkJets.com. Retrieved January 17, 2018.
  18. ^ "Spotrac.com: Marcus Maye contract". Spotrac.com. Retrieved May 26, 2017.
  19. ^ Barbato, Matt (May 7, 2017). "Jets' Todd Bowles says Calvin Pryor better not be afraid of competition". all22.com. Retrieved April 7, 2018.
  20. ^ Wells, MacGregor (September 5, 2017). "The Jets Opening Day Depth Chart". Gang Green Nation. Retrieved October 9, 2023.
  21. ^ "New York Jets at Buffalo Bills – September 10th, 2017". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved November 6, 2023.
  22. ^ "New York Jets at Cleveland Browns – October 8th, 2017". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved November 6, 2023.
  23. ^ "New York Jets at Miami Dolphins – October 22nd, 2017". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved November 6, 2023.
  24. ^ "New York Jets at New Orleans Saints – December 17th, 2017". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved November 6, 2023.
  25. ^ "Marcus Maye 2017 Game Log". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved November 6, 2023.
  26. ^ Vasquez, Andy (September 26, 2018). "Jets at Jaguars injury report: Marcus Maye returns to practice, will he play Week 4?". North Jersey Media Group. Retrieved November 6, 2023.
  27. ^ "New York Jets at Jacksonville Jaguars – September 30th, 2018". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved November 6, 2023.
  28. ^ "Jets' Marcus Maye Makes 104-Yard Interception Return But Falls Short One Yard From Goal Line (Video)". 97.9 WGRD. October 9, 2018. Retrieved November 2, 2018.
  29. ^ Breech, John (October 8, 2018). "Jets safety sets NFL record for longest no TD interception return and you have to see it". CBSSports.com. Retrieved November 2, 2018.
  30. ^ Aber, Spencer (December 1, 2018). "Jets place S Marcus Maye on injured reserve". Jets Wire. USA Today. Retrieved October 9, 2023.
  31. ^ Allen, Eric (December 1, 2018). "Jets Place S Marcus Maye on Injured Reserve". NewYorkJets.com. Retrieved October 9, 2023.
  32. ^ Aber, Spencer (April 9, 2019). "Marcus Maye gives up his jersey number for Le'Veon Bell". Jets Wire. USA Today. Retrieved October 9, 2023.
  33. ^ "Bell, Jets damage Steelers' playoff hopes with 16–10 victory". ESPN.com. Associated Press. December 22, 2019. Retrieved December 22, 2019.
  34. ^ "Marcus Maye 2019 Game Log". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved November 6, 2023.
  35. ^ "Jets 17–27 Bills (Sep 13, 2020) Box Score". ESPN.com. Retrieved October 9, 2023.
  36. ^ "New York Jets at Miami Dolphins – October 18th, 2020". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved October 22, 2020.
  37. ^ "New York Jets at Los Angeles Chargers – November 22nd, 2020". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved November 28, 2020.
  38. ^ "Marcus Maye 2020 Game Log". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved November 6, 2023.
  39. ^ Greenberg, Ethan; Allen, Eric (March 9, 2021). "Jets Place Franchise Tag on Marcus Maye". NewYorkJets.com. Retrieved March 9, 2021.
  40. ^ Allen, Eric (March 22, 2021). "Jets Safety Marcus Maye Signs One-Year Tender". NewYorkJets.com. Retrieved March 22, 2021.
  41. ^ Greenberg, Ethan (November 9, 2021). "Jets Sign S Elijah Riley, Place S Marcus Maye & TE Tyler Kroft on Injured Reserve". NewYorkJets.com. Retrieved October 9, 2023.
  42. ^ Gordon, Grant (March 15, 2022). "Saints signing former Jets safety Marcus Maye to three-year, $28.5M deal". NFL.com. Retrieved October 9, 2023.
  43. ^ "Saints agree to terms with safety Marcus Maye on three-year contract". NewOrleansSaints.com. March 16, 2022. Retrieved October 9, 2023.
  44. ^ "Marcus Maye 2022 Game Log". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved November 6, 2023.
  45. ^ Terrell, Katherine (September 20, 2023). "Saints' Maye suspended 3 games following DUI". ESPN.com. Retrieved September 21, 2023.
  46. ^ "New Orleans Saints announce roster moves". NewOrleansSaints.com. December 6, 2023. Retrieved January 9, 2024.
  47. ^ Cimini, Rich (October 4, 2021). "Jets S Maye facing charges from Feb. DUI arrest". ESPN.com. Retrieved October 9, 2023.
  48. ^ "Saints' Marcus Maye arrested allegedly pointed gun at juveniles in road rage incident". TMZ.com. September 1, 2022. Retrieved October 9, 2023.

External links

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