Jamal Adams, Marcus Maye make Jets secondary talented and volatile

Part 10 in a series analyzing the New York Jets

The Jets safeties room has become drama central. Jamal Adams is not participating in the offseason program, unhappy with his contract. Marcus Maye’s future with the team is cloudy at best. They added an intriguing rookie in the draft. All of it adds up to some compelling storylines.

On the field, this is one of the Jets’ strongest units. Adams was named first-team All-Pro last season and has established himself as one of the best safeties in the NFL. Maye had a solid season last year after dealing with injuries in 2018. The Jets drafted Ashtyn Davis out of Cal in the third round and he is expected to be an immediate contributor.

The drama around Adams figures to be a dominant storyline for the next few months. Adams is scheduled to be paid $3.5 million this year. He feels underpaid and wants a new contract. All indications are the Jets would like to extend Adams, but not until next year. That has left the two sides at odds and Adams is not turning on his laptop for the virtual offseason program. The next key juncture comes at training camp. If Adams does not show up, then things escalate further.

The Jets have no interest in trading Adams, although GM Joe Douglas has consistently said he will listen to offers if teams call. I still don’t think Adams will get traded, but the longer this goes on, the more of a possibility it becomes.

If Adams is on the field for the Jets come Week 1, he will be ready to go whether he misses camp or not. Adams is an emotional guy, but he always brings it when he is on the field. I don’t think he will let his off-field problems with management affect his performance. Adams carried the defense at times last year and that should be expected again.

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Maye had a really nice bounce-back season in 2019. After only playing six games in 2018 due to injuries, Maye stayed on the field for a full 16 games and made some big plays. None was bigger than his pass breakup in the end zone at the end of the Week 16 win over the Steelers. Maye was one of the Jets’ best tacklers with 65 stops and continued to be a nice complement to Adams.

The question with Maye is how much longer he will be a Jet. The Jets are not looking to trade Maye, but it would not be surprising if his name comes up at the trade deadline this year. He is a free agent after this season and it is hard to see the Jets investing in both Maye and Adams, especially with Davis waiting in the wings.

Davis comes to the Jets with versatility as his calling card. He can play safety, cornerback, nickel cornerback and is a special teams contributor. Davis’ presence gives defensive coordinator Gregg Williams a chance to be creative and use some three-safety packages, something that could help mask the Jets’ deficiencies at cornerback. Davis can also back up both Adams and Maye if there is an injury and then he will probably ascend to a bigger role in 2021.

Not many teams have as good a safety combination as Adams and Maye. But it feels like we won’t be watching them play together much longer.