The New York Jets are going to have several business decisions to make as they approach the November 2 NFL trade deadline.
Do they sell off some assets they may lose for nothing next offseason? What kind of message would that possibly send to the rest of the team?
Head coach Robert Saleh is trying to win as many games as he can right now and general manager Joe Douglas is trying to win games now, but always has an eye to the future.
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An Interesting Trade Idea That Could Work for Both Sides
Things have started to deteriorate pretty quickly between the Jets and safety Marcus Maye.
At one point it seemed like they would be a match for the foreseeable future. The former Florida Gator shed his injury-prone tag and seemingly ended the second-round curse on 1 Jets Drive.
Not only has he been reliable, but Maye has made plays.
This offseason the Jets and Maye’s camp were negotiating a long-term deal, but there were a lot of snags on the path. Ultimately the green and white slapped the franchise tag on the 28-year old and things continued to go south.
A bickering match ensued between Maye’s agent and the Jets brass that carried over all the way to training camp. Despite all the tension, Maye still showed up and got back to work.
A few weeks later the elder statesmen got hurt in the Week 3 matchup vs the Denver Broncos knocking him out for weeks. To add insult to injury, Rich Cimini of ESPN revealed that Maye was involved in a DUI incident back in February that previously went unreported and said the star safety never informed the team about it.
That legal situation and his injury status (the team is hopeful he’ll return for the Week 7 matchup vs the New England Patriots) has muddied his future.
Although desperate times call for desperate measures and it appears a trade could be on the horizon if the price is right.
Mike Sando of The Athletic said the Kansas City Chiefs “should make a run” at the talented safety ahead of the trade deadline.
The KC defense has been historically bad through the first six weeks of the 2021 season and their ineptitude risks wasting a prime year of Patrick Mahomes’ career:
- 29.3 points per game allowed (28th in the league)
- 799 rushing yards allowed (27th in the league)
- 410.5 passing yards per game allowed (28th in the league)
Joe Douglas Has an Impressive Trade History
What could the Jets get back for Maye in any potential deal? That much is unclear.
The 28-year old is currently playing on the $10.6 million franchise tag for 2021 and can’t negotiate a long-term deal with the Jets or any new team that acquires him until the offseason.
Throw that on top of his pending legal situation and his injury status, it seems hard to believe it’ll be a massive haul.
Although if anyone can surprise you with a trade package, it’s likely Douglas. In his short time as the general manager of the green and white he has proven to be a savvy negotiator:
- Jamal Adams resulted in two first-rounders and a third-rounder.
- Sam Darnold turned into three draft picks (second-rounder, fourth-rounder, and a sixth-rounder).
- Chris Herndon got dealt for a fourth-rounder.
- Leonard Williams became two picks (third-rounder and a fifth-rounder).
This potential trade with the Chiefs could end up providing the best value in return for the Jets. Kansas City is desperate (3-3) and clearly in win-now mode, so they won’t share the same value on future draft compensation.
A conditional third-rounder in 2022 that could become a second based on certain conditions (playing time and the Chiefs ability to re-sign Maye in the offseason), might do the trick.
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NFL Trade Idea Would Send Jets’ Marcus Maye to Super Bowl Contender