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Tampa Bay Buccaneers cornerback Richard Sherman doesn’t sound too happy about New England Patriots corner J.C. Jackson’s contract situation.
In recent years — especially since 2020 — Jackson has arguably established himself as the best cornerback in the league. Since the start of the 2020 season, the 26-year-old has posted 16 interceptions, which is the most of any player in the league.
And despite the absence and eventual departure of former Defensive Player of the Year Stephon Gilmore, the Patriots’ defense hasn’t missed a beat with Jackson leading the way. During the 2020 season, the Patriots led the league in interceptions forced and fifth in passing yards allowed. In the 2021 season, the defensive unit is even better, ranking first in points allowed and second in passing yards allowed.
Despite all of the accolades, Jackson is the 61st-highest paid corner, the 16th-highest paid member of the Patriots and the 413th-highest paid player in the league. He earns just a shade under $3.4 million per year.
All of these facts prompted Sherman to give a fiery take on the disrespectful nature of Jackson’s contract.
“It pisses me off, they won’t pay that man his money,” Sherman said on a recent episode of his podcast.
Jackson’s Situation Almost Similar to Gilmore
Jackson will be a free agent in the offseason and the Patriots will have to make a decision — pay him or not pay him.
The situation is a little similar to that of Gilmore’s contract holdout prior to the start of the 2021 season — except Gilmore was still under contract for 2021. The 31-year-old cornerback missed OTAs and minicamp in an effort to gain a long-term deal with New England. However, Gilmore eventually ended his holdout and landed on the injured list due to a quad injury.
Gilmore never received a new contract — he’s earning $7 million this season — and was traded to the Carolina Panthers for a sixth-round draft selection in October.
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Jackson Expresses Desire to Remain With Patriots
Despite the Patriots’ well-known history of penny pinching when it comes to contracts, Jackson expressed his desire to remain a member of New England for the foreseeable future.
“I love playing for the New England Patriots, playing under coach Belichick,” Jackson said on Nov. 26. “I have grown as a football player since I’ve been here … It’s a place that gave me a chance from Day 1. I would love to be a New England Patriot for a long time.”
The key difference between both Jackson and Gilmore’s situations are this — age. Jackson just turned 26 years old, while Gilmore was on the verge of turning 31 years old. To top it off, Gilmore was in the midst of dealing with a quad injury during his holdout and was limited the previous season due to that same injury, severely limiting his bargaining power.
Another key difference? Gilmore was still under contract while openly pouting and holding out for a new deal. Jackson is playing out his commitment to the team despite his paltry salary.
The highest-paid corner in the league at the moment is the Miami Dolphins’ Xavien Howard, who is earning an average annual salary of over $15 million. Jackson’s market value will exceed that and there’s little reason the Patriots won’t make that a reality when the young corner actually becomes a free agent.
Considering his age (very important) and his value to the defense, the Patriots shouldn’t penny pinch when it comes to Jackson’s new deal.
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