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After the New England Patriots went on a spending spree this past offseason, there shouldn’t be a ton of doubt about Bill Belichick or the organization’s willingness to distribute free agent dollars.
However, there could still be a question about when the franchise will spend and on whom. According to CLNS beat reporter Evan Lazar, Patriots’ soon-to-be free agent cornerback J.C. Jackson is “going to get paid.”
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Lazar tweeted some of Jackson’s stats to further prove his point. Pat’s Pulpit’s Rich Hill retweeted Lazar’s post and added more opinion on the topic.
Hill sees Jackson as the kind of “elite player” at his position the Patriots will be willing to pay to keep in the fold.
Jackson Has Had Elite Numbers From Day 1
Since his rookie season in 2018, Jackson hasn’t finished lower than tied for sixth in interceptions. Heading into Sunday’s important regular-season finale with the Dolphins, Jackson is currently second in the league with 8 interceptions.
He has a total of 17 over his past 32 games. Speaking of Pro Football Focus’ love for Jackson, the site’s official Twitter account posted this graphic recognizing the Patriots’ star as the highest-graded player at his position in man-to-man coverage.
To put it plainly, Jackson has been a problem for the opposition this year, and because he’s still just 26 years old, he’s expected to play at this level for at least 4-6 more seasons.
That sounds like the perfect setup for a young cornerback set to cash in on the free-agent market. The Patriots figure to have two ways to retain Jackson. The first option might be to simply reward him with the lucrative deal he’s earned. The second option would be to franchise tag him.
That is projected to cost the Patriots between $17 to $17.5 million for the 2022 season. Because of this, it seems logical Jackson could sign a four-year deal worth something in the neighborhood of $64 million.
If he continues to play at the level he has since he came into the league as an undrafted free agent, it’ll be a bargain.
Stefon Diggs Has Been Jackson’s Boogeyman
Even really good corners have guys that they struggle to cover. For Jackson, it’s been the Buffalo Bills star receiver Stefon Diggs.
Diggs lit Jackson up in 2020 for 15 receptions, 237 yards, and 2 touchdowns in as many games. Things were a little better in the two meetings this regular season, but the first game was played on Monday Night Football in Buffalo with 50 mile per hour winds.
In the second meeting, back in Week 16, Diggs again got the better of Jackson with 7 receptions for 85 yards and a touchdown. Jackson and the Patriots may get a third shot at Diggs and the Bills in the postseason as that is New England’s most-likely playoff opponent.
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