CONTRITE HERE & NOW
Sorry Maye says he hasn’t asked for trade, only focus is ‘100 percent with my guys’
Marcus Maye has had plenty of heartfelt conversations with the Jets over the past few weeks.
None of those talks, he said, has involved a trade request.
The quality safety on an expiring contract playing for a 1-4 team, speaking publicly for the first time since both his offseason arrest was revealed and he sustained an ankle injury, said he has apologized individually to teammates and feels remorse for the DUI and car accident for which he is facing charges.
He did not inform the Jets he had been arrested Feb. 22 until it became public on Oct. 4. In the ensuing days, Maye said, he talked with Robert Saleh — a conversation he did not expand upon, but one the head coach said was appreciated. Maye said he has talked with his teammates, too, to express remorse.
He has not, however, talked with the front office about his future, he said. The Jets are not headed for the playoffs and instead are headed — for the fifth straight season since drafting Maye in the second round — for a losing record.
They have not extended him and would be better off acquiring assets rather than letting Maye walk after the season — a sentiment apparently shared by his agent, who signaled after Maye’s ankle injury that he would return in time for the trade deadline.
“[The Jets] know I want to be here,” Maye said Thursday after a practice in which he was a full participant. “They know I’m 100 percent with my guys and teammates and things like that. So, I’m here.”
For now. There are plenty of reasons for the 28-year-old to be somewhere else by the Nov. 2 deadline.
If the Jets did not think enough of Maye to agree to a contract extension leading up to this season, being kept in the dark about his arrest will not help their trust. Maye acknowledged the Jets were blindsided by his late revelation, but he said all parties have moved on.
“I don’t think there’s any trust issue from my end,” said Maye, who has missed two games, but said he will be ready to play Sunday against the Patriots at Gillette Stadium. “I feel like they know I’m 100 percent with those guys every time I step on the field.”
It is possible the NFL, at some point, will not allow him to step on the field, as he may become subject to league discipline.
The case is ongoing, and according to online court records, the woman whose car Maye allegedly struck most re- cently motioned to amend her complaint on Oct. 13, adding a claim for punitive damages against Maye. The safety, according to the arresting police officer in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., was unaware that he had struck another vehicle. The officer reported there was vomit in Maye’s car and said he could smell alcohol on Maye’s breath.
“The situation happened,” said Maye, who declined to comment further. “Definitely feel sorry for it. I learned from it.”
About six weeks after the arrest, Maye was issued a citation in Orlando for speeding and driving with a suspended license. The citation was dismissed in August.
The Jets learned about the DUI charge against their veteran safety after he sustained an ankle sprain during the Week 3 loss to the Broncos.
“Should be back fully healthy just before the trade deadline,” his agent, Erik Burkhardt, wrote on Twitter after the injury was announced.
On Thursday, Maye said Burkhardt was speaking for himself — “I have no control over his phone” — and while he was not effusive about a love for the team, he still said he would like to be here.
Would he welcome a trade, though, to be on a contender for the first time in his NFL career?
“That’s not up to me,” said Maye, who is not taking the route of his former safety buddy Jamal Adams, whose trade request was granted in July 2020.
It is up to the Jets, who extended John Franklin-Myers this month in deciding the young defensive end was a part of their future. They have not made the same kind of commitment to Maye, and while his stock may have dipped following the news of his arrest, there still should be a market. Perhaps the Colts, who this week lost safety Julian Blackmon for the year after he tore his Achilles, could be a match.
For now, Maye will be ready to play for the first time in four weeks.
“He not only has the talent, he has the speed, he has the athleticism. He’s got all of that,” defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich said. “But he heightens everybody just by his awareness, his communication skills.”
On-field skills that the Jets figure to see at least for one more week.