Perennial loser Marcus Maye deserves to be at a ‘winning organization’ like the Saints
By Kristen Wong
If its a winning culture he’s looking for, New Orleans Saints free agent signing Marcus Maye has come to the right place.
Maye has played on the New York Jets for the past five years, and in that span, his team won 22 games. In that same span, the Saints have won 58 games and haven’t posted a losing record since 2016 (and even then, they had seven wins).
While the Saints are by no means the winning-est organization in the league, the difference between them and the Jets is like night and day.
To give a smidgen of credit to those lovable losers in New York, the Jets have enjoyed a particularly productive offseason in which Robert Saleh and others have assembled a young and promising roster for 2022.
The Saints themselves enter an uncertain year with the newly appointed Dennis Allen at the helm and (finally) a starting quarterback in Jameis Winston, but even with those undetermined variables, New Orleans stands as first and foremost a winning, respectable franchise.
Marcus Maye entering the gates of New Orleans for the first time must have been like Charlie entering Willy Wonka’s chocolate factory. So. Much. Chocolate.
Maye recently touched upon what he loved about the team in his first interview as a Saint.
Marcus Maye said the Saints were a team that stood out to him during the draft process, and he's happy to see things come full-circle.
— Jeff Nowak (@Jeff_Nowak) March 21, 2022
And what drew him to New Orleans: "Just the background that this organization has ... it's a winning organization."
New Orleans Saints safety Marcus Maye wants to contribute to organization’s winning culture
Maye didn’t just get lucky and happen upon a golden ticket to land in New Orleans — he worked hard to get here and should be considered one of the best safeties in the league, when healthy.
From one Marcus to another, Maye has pretty large shoes to fill but also possesses the natural skill, physicality, and intelligence to succeed even on a top-10 defense like the Saints. According to NFL’s NextGenStats, Maye has allowed the lowest catch rate (47.8 percent) as nearest defender of any defensive back since he entered the league in 2017. Former Saints safety Marcus Williams, notably, ranks second (49.6 percent).
When asked what specific role he’d play in the Saints defense, Maye said that the team told him to be ready to play “multiple things” from man-to-man coverage to blitzing off the edge to his familiar deep free safety position.
Maye’s defensive versatility will get him far — his injury history will not. The star safety is currently recovering from a season-ending torn Achilles he suffered last year, though Maye mentioned the rehab is going well and he’s “still got a little ways to go.”
If he can stay healthy, Maye will fit right in next to Marshon Lattimore and C.J. Gardner Johnson in the backfield and make an immediate impact with his big-play ability.
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While the Saints can’t take in all of the Jets’ traumatized players, Maye’s talent and production make him a cornerstone piece in preserving the organization’s tradition of success.
Loser no more, Maye should soon get his first taste of victory in 2022.