Former Florida star signs big deal with New Orleans Saints

Former Florida star and New York Jets safety Marcus Maye signed a three-year contract with the New Orleans Saints, according to NFL Network’s Ian Rapaport and Tom Pelissero. The move comes on the same day the team lost its star safety, Marcus Williams, to the Baltimore Ravens.

Marcus Maye played the 2021 season on a franchise tag with the Jets after failing to reach an agreement on a contract extension but expressed his desire to move on with a fresh start in 2022. His new deal is reportedly worth $28.5 million over three seasons with $15 million guaranteed.

After going in the second round of the 2017 NFL Draft, Maye established himself as one of the best defensive backs in the league. In 60 career games, he has 312 tackles with six interceptions and 24 pass deflections. Maye also forced four fumbles and made 3.5 sacks in five seasons.

Saints invest in secondary

The New Orleans Saints also secured a new contract for a former Ohio State star on Tuesday, preserving a veteran piece of their secondary from last season. The Saints offered a contract extension to cornerback Bradley Roby, keeping him on their roster for his ninth NFL season and opening up cap space in the process.

Roby joined the Saints last season to add depth to their secondary, and played in 14 games for them including one start. Roby tallied one interception, one sack and six passes defended in his time on the field, and his veteran presence will be back for the 2022 season as a result.

Details of the contract were not immediately available, but Rapoport indicated that the contract was designed to help the team free up a little more cap space to maneuver this offseason.

Roby played three seasons at Ohio State from 2011-13, grabbing eight interceptions and returning two for touchdowns. His ability to disrupt the backfield and make plays was evident even with the Buckeyes, recording 132 solo tackles, 7.5 tackles for a loss and one sack during his three-year college career. The Denver Broncos selected Roby in the first round with the 31st overall pick of the 2014 NFL Draft.

The Broncos made Roby a key part of their secondary, but he never fully won over a starting position until the 2018 season. Roby played two seasons with the Houston Texans after leaving Denver, before coming to New Orleans last year. Throughout his career, Roby has recorded at least one interception every season. His current career totals are 11 interceptions, eight forced fumbles and five sacks.