Cowboys Sign Jets S Marcus Maye in Free Agency? Do the Math

While it may be true that Maye "had a down year for him,'' he's 27. He's a former second-round pick. And a year ago, the Jets put him under the franchise tag.

FRISCO - The Dallas Cowboys have a habit at safety, and in 2021, the habit largely worked.

In 2022 free agency, are they about to break the habit - without breaking the bank?

We have already shot down the rumor/idea of Dallas chasing Bengals star Jessie Bates III; that's a $15 million APY guy, and the people predicting that obviously don't have a very good grasp of how the Cowboys do their business (or a grasp on the fact that Dallas is presently working to climb out of a hole that presently has it $21 million over the $208 million cap.)

But is there a more affordable way to be a buyer? To be a buyer of the services of New York Jets safety Marcus Maye?

PFF is predicting that Dallas would sign him to a one-year deal, noting that this season was a "down year'' for him.

PFF has it right regarding Dallas' largely successful habit of signing reclamation projects. The Cowboys did it at all three levels on defense in 2021 ... with a Jets player in defensive end Tarell Basham (3.5 sacks), and they did it at linebacker with Keanu Neal coming over from Dan Quinn's former Atlanta team, and they did it at safety with coordinator Quinn helping to bring over another Falcons-ex in Damontae Kazee and with the camp signing of former Colts almost-star Malik Hooker.

And most of all, they did it with seventh-year journeyman Jayron Kearse, who had a career year as a do-it-all safety. (Guru Gil Brandt is labeling Kearse a Cowboys "must-keep.'')

Neal, Kazee, Hooker and Kearse all signed one-year and close-to vet-minimum deals. In the Maye prediction, PFF has the Cowboys signing him to a one-year deal (we're with you there) worth $6 million (we gotta stop you there.)

While it may be true that Maye "had a down year for him,'' he's 27. He's a former second-round pick. And a year ago, the Jets put him under the franchise tag, meaning last year he played for $10.6 million.

So Maye is going to sign a "prove-it'' deal worth almost half his "established worth''? And the Cowboys are going to suddenly pay Maye $6 mil? Do the math: That's more than Basham, Hooker, Kearse and Kazee were paid in 2021 ... combined.

"The Cowboys need a free safety ... in Quinn’s scheme,'' PFF writes.

But if Quinn is part of Dallas' free agency "recruiting'' efforts - and he will be - Dallas will get safety help first by trying to bring back some of the effective and affordable defenders from the 2021 roster.