It's no surprise the Saints went after Marcus Maye in free agency, but why exactly did he land on New Orleans as his next team?
Success, for one thing. The Saints have had it, and he's ready to experience that for himself.
“It’s all about wins and losses. That’s what you’re doing it for at the end of the day. Especially coming from the past five seasons where winning wasn’t very likely for me, tough situations," Maye said, speaking to the media for the first time since signing in New Orleans.
Maye continues: "[The Saints] have been a winning organization for a long time, and I’m excited to be a part of it.”
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It wasn't intended as a dig at his former home with the New York Jets, but the records speak for themselves. The Jets didn't win more than seven games in any of the five seasons Maye spent there, and the team cycled through multiple highly selected quarterbacks. There were reasons for it, but in all the record over those five years sits at 22-59.
Over that same span the Saints have gone 58-23. In its most difficult season that saw the team start a record 58 players and four different quarterbacks, the Saints finished 9-8 and just missed the playoffs.
Maye is ready to flip that script, and sees his versatility as a way he can help continue those winning ways. Despite his apparent role as replacing Marcus Williams in the Saints' prevailing defensive scheme, he feels like he can make an impact all over the field if called upon. Maye, a former teammate of CJ Gardner-Johnson's at Florida, has played nickel corner, is comfortable covering man-to-man and doesn't shy away from run support.
It'll be up to new co-defensive coordinator and returning secondary coach Kris Richard to find the best combination of those skills under new head coach Dennis Allen.
"They just told me to be ready … for whatever they throw at me," Maye said. "I told them I will be.”
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But there is a bit of rehab to go for Maye before he can "be ready" to go this offseason. The 29-year-old tore his Achilles in Week 9 of the 2021 season, a particularly brutal way to go down considering he was playing on a franchise tag. Williams was in the same position for the Saints that season, but avoided any major injuries and ultimately cashed in on a 5-year, $70 million deal with the Ravens.
Maye landed a 3-year, $22.5 deal with the Saints this offseason despite the injury amid a market likely tempered by injury concern. He concedes the early stages of rehab were particularly difficult with such an injury, but he's close to being back in peak-form and expects to be ready when the team needs him to be.
He'll continue to be calculated in his rehab until then, an approach he'd be quick to credit Demario Davis with helping him establish the approach to his craft. The pair crossed paths for one season during Maye's rookie year with the Jets. Davis departed to the Saints in free agency the following offseason.
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That short span was all it took to have an impact. And the Saints defensive leader was one of the first people Maye spoke with upon signing in New Orleans.
"He showed me how to practice, how to be a professional. Not to complain and worry about this and that and that, just come in the building and be a pro," Maye said. "That helped me very much my rookie year, and like I said, just to have it come back full circle, to be back in this position again to be on the field with him, I’m looking forward to it.”