FLORHAM PARK, N.J. -- Safety Marcus Maye, who turns 28 Tuesday, received an early birthday present from the New York Jets: The franchise tag, a source told ESPN's Adam Schefter.
Maye, poised to become an unrestricted free agent for the first time, is the first Jets player since defensive end Muhammad Wilkerson (2016) to get the designation.
The franchise-tag amount for a safety is an estimated $10.5 million, which will be Maye's 2021 guaranteed salary if the two sides can't reach a long-term agreement by July 15. Maye, a second-round pick in 2017, made $6.