Getty J.C. Jackson #27 of the New England Patriots reacts during the second quarter in the AFC Divisional Playoff Game against the Los Angeles Chargers at Gillette Stadium on January 13, 2019.
Despite having one of the statistically best defenses in the NFL, the San Francisco 49ers need to improve their secondary through free agency this offseason.
San Francisco boasted the seventh-best passing defense this past season, which might not indicate to some fans that the corner spot has to be replenished.
But the glaring need for new blood at the corner spot was most abundant in the most important game of the season, against the Los Angeles Rams in the NFC Championship. Rams wide receivers Cooper Kupp and Odell Beckham Jr. are extremely talented, but their 20 combined catches for 255 yards and two scores in that game says a lot.
Fortunately, the Niners are likely to trade quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo, which will open up $25.5 million in cap space per Spotrac. If the Niners decide to invest some of that in a big contract for a corner, New England Patriots standout J.C. Jackson needs to be the No. 1 target.
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Jackson’s Resume
After initially starting at Florida, Jackson left the Gators for a stop at Riverside Community College and then eventually ended up at Maryland. Despite bringing down three interceptions in his junior season with the Terrapins, the corner went undrafted in the 2018 NFL draft before being picked up by New England.
If you hadn’t heard Jackson’s name coming into 2021, you probably started hearing it a lot this past year. Initially breaking out with nine interceptions in 2020, the 26-year-old followed up with eight more interceptions and improvements in other splits.
As PFR shows, his completion rate was 59% in 2020 versus 49% in 2021, or the opposition quarterback rating dropping from 66.5 to 46.8. Further, his 23 passes defended were the most of any corner in 2021 and his 25 career interceptions are the most of any corner since he entered the league.
Jackson’s man coverage abilities are wildly impressive, but his ball skills are how he earns the interceptions, seen in the highlight below.
Do not throw it near J.C. Jackson. #ForeverNE
📺: #NEvsCAR on CBS
📱: NFL app
But with defenders, it’s not just about making flashy plays. It’s also about hustle, and one video that went wild among the Patriots fanbase shows Jackson bringing the exact type of hustle a team is looking for.
Superb effort here by J.C. Jackson.
Justin Jackson was 4 or 5 yards ahead of
J.C. Jackson in what looked to be a breakaway touchdown.
J.C. Jackson never gave up on the play.
I know the Chargers still scored on that drive but you have to love the hustle.
Athleticism, technical ability, determination to work hard. It’s a dream combo for the 49ers
49ers Cap Space, Jackson’s Contract
The major issue for San Francisco is cost. If they can afford it, they’ll consider it. But even with Garoppolo off the books, the 49ers only have a projected $28.4 million in cap space.
That detail is compounded by the fact that general manager John Lynch recently commented on trying to get star wide receiver Deebo Samuel and defensive end Nick Bosa to new contracts.
The Athletic’s Matthew Fairburn points out that priority free agent corners last year like Shaquill Griffin, William Jackson and Adoree Jackson got an average of $13 million per year, the Niners would have to expect to pay at least that much, if not a good bit more, like $15-18 million.
It’d be a huge investment, but if the 49ers want him bad enough, they can get crafty with void years and make the cap hit in 2022 or 2023 significantly smaller, but deal with that money’s constriction down the road.