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Five years ago, safety Taylor Mays was upset when his former USC coach didn’t make Mays a first-round pick, taking Earl Thomas instead. Now that Mays is approaching free agency, Pete Carroll likely will pass, again.

Other teams likely won’t.

Mays, traded from the 49ers to the Bengals in 2011, has drawn attention from multiple teams, per a league source. The Vikings, Raiders, Rams, and Washington are leading the way, but the Bengals have a strong interest in keeping Mays around.

Mays, who appeared in all 16 games last year but with no starts, played for Vikings coach Mike Zimmer while Zimmer was the defensive coordinator in Cincinnati.