J.C. Jackson's departure from New England and what lies in the future for the New England defense

J.C. Jackson signs with Chargers, Patriots left with uncertainty at cornerback position

Jack Cavicchi

March 8, 2o22 marked the deadline to franchise tag any players prior to the start of free agency. The New England Patriots passed on the opportunity to tag star cornerback J.C. Jackson. Earlier today, Monday March 14th, the Chargers capitalized on the Patriots decision by signing Jackson to a 5-year, $82.5 million deal.

Why didn’t the Patriots tag Jackson?

Had the Patriots tagged Jackson, it would have cost them $17.3 million and put them at -$3.6 million in cap space. Despite his 25 interceptions in his first four NFL seasons, tying Lester Hayes and Everson Walls for the most ever, the undrafted star didn’t seem to warrant the money from New England Head Coach, Bill Belichick. With the Patriots unwilling to pay Jackson the rich contract he desires, uncertainty looms in the future for New England cornerbacks.

When Stephon Gilmore was traded to the Panthers in October of 2021, Patriots’ fans were heartbroken to lose their former defensive player of the year (2019) but there was still some light in the situation as young star J.C. Jackson was still in the picture. Jackson did anything but disappoint in his first season as the CB1 for the Patriots, recording 8 interceptions (2nd in league) and 23 pass deflections (1st in league). The unpredictability of the New England cornerbacks leaves a lot of questions.

The Depth Chart

As of right now, the starting cornerbacks for the Patriots would be Jalen Mills and Jonathan Jones. Mills played a hybrid safety/corner role during his time in Philadelphia as well as for a few games in New England last season but he looks to take on guarding the WR1 for the upcoming season. Jonathan Jones is returning from an injury filled 2021, only playing six games before suffering a season ending shoulder injury. Should Jones be fully healthy come 2022, he looks to take on the second cornerback position.

Sitting behind Mills and Jones lies a lot of inexperience, but with inexperience comes a lot of potential. Myles Bryant enters his second season and will assume a larger role as the third cornerback on the roster. Joejuan Williams serves as an experienced but average backup while Shaun Wade is a young, physical cornerbacks who could benefit greatly from some development. Shaun Wade’s size (6’1, 190 lbs) and athleticism look to make him a deadly asset to the team if he can get worked into the defense and gain some confidence this season.

Outside Options

The Patriots’ lack of pursuit to renew J.C. Jackson leads me to believe that Belichick is not interested in paying big money for a cornerback but instead trying to replicate what he did with J.C. Jackson in the past four years. Jackson went undrafted in 2018 and never received “big money” from New England but he still played a huge role on the team. Bill Belichick either sees a lot of potential in his depth players or he is eyeing a player in the draft.

Options from the draft include: Andrew Booth Jr. (projected 15-25th overall), Kaiir Elam (20-30th overall) and Derion Kendrick (3rd round). The Patriots also need to address their need for a solid WR1 so it would be suitable to use their first and second round picks to try and pick up both a cornerback and a wide receiver.

Free agency is also an option for the Patriots but based on Belichick’s deterrence to pay Jackson, there doesn’t seem to be any eye catching player for a low price aside from newly acquired Terrance Mitchell.

J.C. Jackson leaves a hole in the New England defense, but he leaves opportunity. With opportunity comes the question: who will rise to the challenge and make an impact?