Getty JC Jackson
On Saturday, the New York Jets traded Jamal Adams to the Seattle Seahawks. That might not be the only major AFC East deal, and the New England Patriots could be a part of the next one.
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J.C. Jackson Could Be on the Move
The Patriots made one minor move associated with their large group of cornerbacks on Saturday when they released Lenzy Pipkins. Before the NFL season gets underway, they could make another move that isn’t so minor.
Ryan Queen of LWOS explains how talented young cornerback J.C. Jackson could be traded before the start of the season.
Collectively, New England has just under 43 million cap dollars distributed amongst players such as Patrick Chung, Stephon Gilmore, Jason McCourty, Devin McCourty, Adrian Phillips, Jonathan Jones, and J.C. Jackson. Jackson carries the lowest cap hit of the group as he is entering the final year of a three-year contract which will make him a restricted free agent at the conclusion of the 2020 season. Given New England’s secondary depth in conjunction with their current cap spending and needs at other positions, it is very possible that Jackson could be moved before the start of this season.
Jackson is one of the more highly regarded young corners in the NFL. Over the last two NFL seasons, Jackson has the lowest completion percentage against of all cornerbacks in the league, per Pro Football Focus.
He won’t turn 25 years old until November, so there is no question there would be an active market of suitors should the Patriots make him available.
Would the Patriots Move Jackson?
As of now, the Patriots have just under $7.8 million available in cap space. Depending on how things turn out through the year, that should be enough for them to operate during the 2020 season, but it’s not guaranteed. As Patriots cap expert recently said on Twitter, it depends on whether the team has any players who opt out of the season, and the roster size, which we now know will be 80.
If the Patriots elect to move Jackson, it would seemingly be a cost-cutting move as well as a roster snipping deal. The team could grab some attractive draft assets for Jackson, and that’s something that the Patriots have loved to stockpile over the years.
Simply moving Jackson for picks probably wouldn’t be a popular move with fans, but because the team has so much depth at the position, it might be feasible and still solid in the long run.
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