Saints agree to three-year deal with former Jets safety Marcus Maye

Marcus Maye's 2021 season ended with an Achilles tear in November, but the New Orleans Saints still believe enough in his abilities to reportedly sign the safety to a three-year, $28.5 million deal.

Maye, 29, was a second-round pick in the 2017 NFL Draft and started immediately as a rookie in the New York Jets defense. After four seasons, the Jets decided to use the franchise tag to keep Maye on a one-year, $10.6 million deal, but he only played six games before his season-ending injury.

The addition will fill the void left by the departure of Marcus Williams, who signed with the Ravens Tuesday. Williams was drafted three selections after Maye in 2017. He started 76 of a possible 81 regular season games for the Saints over the past five seasons, but is best remembered for his missed tackle in the final seconds of a playoff loss against the Minnesota Vikings. The Saints franchised Williams a year ago, but allowed him to reach free agency this offseason.

New Orleans entered the offseason significantly over the salary cap, but have cleared space through a variety of contract restructures. Still, the addition of Maye will force the Saints to make more moves to fit his deal under the cap.