Former Florida Gators Safety Claimed By Los Angeles Chargers

A Muschamp- then McElwain-era defender finds a new home in Los Angeles after being waived by the Dolphins

A former Florida Gators safety is heading to the Chargers / Kim Klement-Imagn Images

Former Florida Gators safety Marcus Maye has found a new landing spot. He has been claimed by the Los Angeles Chargers, per NFL Insiders Ian Rapoport and Tom Pelissero.

Former #Dolphins S Marcus Maye was claimed by the #Chargers, per me and @TomPelissero.

— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) November 27, 2024

Maye had been waived by the Miami Dolphins on Tuesday.  With the Dolphins, Maye played in 11 games, starting three of them. He made 30 tackles (13 solo) and broke up a pass. This is the highest number of games he has appeared in since he started all 16 games for the New York Jets in 2020 - the final year before expanding the schedule to 17. 

The UF grad and Melbourne, Fla. native signed with the Dolphins back in June. It was the first time in his career he got to play pro football in his home state. That time has come and gone and he’s heading for the west coast for the first time. 

Maye played for the Florida Gators from 2012 to 2016. He played his first two years under Will Muschamp and the latter two years under Jim McElwain. He played 41 games for the Gators during his collegiate career, making 210 tackles, five interceptions and seven forced fumbles. 

His standout season came in his junior year in 2015. Maye played in all 13 games, racking up two interceptions and five forced fumbles, two of which he recovered. In 2016, he was named Second Team All-SEC. 

After toughing out a brutal 4-8 season in 2013, Florida’s first losing season since 1979, Maye got to play in bowl games the following two seasons and played in the 2015 SEC Championship Game against Alabama. His lone appearance in a bowl game came in the 2015 Birmingham Bowl where the Gators won 28-20 over East Carolina. His senior season came to an early end after suffering a broken arm in the Gators 20-7 win over South Carolina, preventing him from playing in another SEC title bout and the Outback Bowl at the end of the season.  

He was drafted in the second round (39th overall) by the New York Jets in 2017. He spent five seasons with the team that drafted him before playing two seasons with the New Orleans Saints.