New England Patriots Reportedly Set To Pass On The Franchise Tag With J.C. Jackson

J.C. Jackson is on track to test the waters of unrestricted free agency.

The New England Patriots are not expected to apply the franchise tag on the 26-year-old cornerback before the 4 p.m. ET deadline on March 8, NFL Media’s Ian Rapoport reported Friday.

“I am told the tag is not expected to be applied to J.C. Jackson, which means Mr. INT, one of the best ball hawks in the NFL and one of the best playmakers in the NFL regardless of position, is expected to be available for anyone,” Rapoport said from the NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis. “And for a corner market where there’s some really good corners, he may be the best one.”

Since landing in New England as an undrafted rookie in 2018, Jackson has intercepted an NFL-high 25 passes. That total saw him tie Lester Hayes and Everson Walls for the league record through a player’s initial four seasons.

Jackson was tendered at the second-round level of $3.384 million as a restricted free agent last spring. Pro Bowl and second-team All-Pro selections followed for the corner by way of the Florida Gators, Riverside City College Tigers and Maryland Terrapins.

In the absence of traded former NFL Defensive Player of the Year Stephon Gilmore, all 17 games were started and 88% of the defensive snaps were played by Jackson. He returned eight picks for 92 yards and a touchdown while leading the league with 23 passes defensed. One fumble and a career-best 58 tackles also arrived in the final year of his contract.

Opposing quarterbacks posted a passer rating of 47.8 when targeting Jackson’s boundary, according to Pro Football Focus. His coverage gave way 635 yards and three touchdowns over the course of 50 completions and 98 attempts.

The Patriots currently stand with under $5 million in projected cap space, per Miguel Benzan of PatsCap. In contrast, at cornerback, OverTheCap.com projects the upcoming the franchise tag to stand at $17.295 million.

Finding room for the designation would provide the Patriots and Jackson until the summer negotiate a multi-year pact. A strong market likely awaits the consensus top available player at the position instead.

The Patriots have turned to the franchise tag on ten occasions during Bill Belichick’s tenure as head coach. Ironman guard Joe Thuney, now of the Kansas City Chiefs, marked the latest in 2020. Previously, the organization tagged kicker Stephen Gostkowski, wide receiver Wes Welker, guard Logan Mankins, defensive tackle Vince Wilfork, quarterback Matt Cassel, cornerback Asante Samuel, safety Tebucky Jones and twice kicker Adam Vinatieri.

Of whom, two were traded, four played on the tag before departing the following year and additional four signed extensions.

With Jackson trending toward free agency, New England’s cornerback depth chart moves into 2022 with Jalen Mills, Jonathan Jones, Myles Bryant, Joejuan Williams, Shaun Wade and Justin Bethel under contract.

The legal tampering period is set to begin at 12 p.m. ET on March 14 and run through the opening of the league year at 4 p.m. ET on March 16.