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J.C. Jackson reportedly wants Jalen Ramsey money, still open to Patriots return
Ramsey is the highest-paid cornerback in the NFL after signing a five-year, $100 million deal in 2020.
With the Patriots reportedly unlikely to place the franchise tag on him, cornerback J.C. Jackson is preparing what he wants in his next contract as he becomes an unrestricted free agent for the first time in his career.
Jackson’s main ask is money, and lots of it. The Pro Bowler is only willing to talk to teams who offer him “Jalen Ramsey money,” the NFL Network’s Mike Giardi reported Saturday. For reference, Ramsey signed a five-year, $100 million with the Rams in 2020, which included a $25 million signing bonus and $43.7 million guaranteed at signing to make him the highest-paid corner in the league.
As Jackson looks for a similar payday as Ramsey, he isn’t ruling out a return to New England. Jackson still “likes” the Patriots, but the money being offered is taking precedence in his decision, according to Giardi.
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A pair of analysts project Jackson to end up becoming one of the league’s highest-paid corners when he signs this offseason. Pro Football Focus believes Jackson will get close to matching Ramsey’s contract, projecting him to sign a four-year, $72 million deal with $56 million guaranteed. Boston Sports Journal’s Greg Bedard doesn’t project Jackson to sign for that big of a deal, predicting that his next contract will be worth $15 million per year with $35 million guaranteed.
Even though it’s widely believed that Jackson won’t receive the franchise tag at this point, Giardi doesn’t rule it out. Giardi speculated that with the report of the Patriots unlikely to tag him coming out, a team could offer the Patriots trade compensation to avoid competing with other teams to sign Jackson in free agency.
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If the Patriots place the franchise tag on Jackson, he’d be on a one-year, $17.3 million deal that’s fully guaranteed. New England currently doesn’t have enough cap room to fit that under the salary cap. The Patriots could though re-negotiate a deal with Jackson to make his cap number smaller if they were to place the franchise tag on him. They have until Tuesday, March 8, to either place the franchise tag on him or let him become an unrestricted free agent on March 16.
The Patriots could still end up with compensation for Jackson down the line. Teams typically get compensatory picks for losing free agents based on the contracts they signed. If Jackson gets the money he’s looking for, the Patriots would likely receive a third-round compensatory pick in the 2023 NFL Draft.
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