What a season the New England Patriots had in 2021. Despite losing in blowout fashion to the Buffalo Bills in the Wild Card round of the playoffs, there are plenty of reasons to be excited about the future. First and foremost, the Patriots have a true franchise quarterback in Mac Jones to build around moving forward.
That being said, the Patriots are already switching their attention to the upcoming offseason. New England will have some decisions to make on pending free agents. They have Devin McCourty, Dont’a Hightower, Trent Brown, J.C. Jackson, Matthew Slater, James White, Brandon Bolden, and more hitting the open market.
With that in mind, there is one player in particular that the Patriots cannot afford to lose.
Looking ahead to the upcoming NFL offseason, the Patriots cannot afford to let star cornerback J.C. Jackson leave for somewhere else. New England’s secondary relied heavily on Jackson. Their decision to trade star corner Stephon Gilmore to the Carolina Panthers before the trade deadline showed their faith in Jackson.
Plenty of teams around the NFL will be shopping for help at the cornerback position this offseason. The Patriots simply cannot afford to let him get away.
During the course of the 2021 season with the Patriots, Jackson ended up recording 58 total tackles to go along with a forced fumble, eight interceptions, a defensive touchdown, and 23 defended passes. Those numbers are insane for any cornerback.
Jackson is also just 26 years old and still has a few years left in the height of his prime. Whoever ends up signing Jackson will end up getting a true No. 1 corner for the entire length of the contract they give him. New England needs to make sure that they are that team.
New England showed major improvements on the offensive side of the football this season. The presence of Jones helped them take the next step, but there is still work to do. However, on the defensive side of the ball, the Patriots are no longer the dominant unit that they have been in recent years.
Losing Jackson would be a massive gut punch for the Patriots. He is the clear-cut leader of their entire defense. If he does end up leaving for another team, New England’s secondary will be much more vulnerable next season.
All of that being said, Jackson has seemed to love his time with the Patriots. There is a good chance that his first choice would be to get a new deal done with New England. The franchise needs to get that done early on and avoid playing with fire on him getting a good offer elsewhere.