The New England Patriots can make their first move of the 2022 offseason with cornerback J.C. Jackson. The franchise tag window opened on Tuesday, and Bill Belichick can make it so he keeps the star defensive back on the team through 2022 — unless the Patriots traded Jackson after tagging him or extended his contract or, or, or.
There are a lot of ways this situation can play out. The Patriots and Jackson have tough decisions to make in the coming weeks. With Jackson being a former undrafted free agent who has developed into one of the league’s elite, he gets to hit unrestricted free agency after four years in the league. He has so far earned roughly $5.6 million.
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The Patriots can place the franchise tag on him
The Patriots have historically avoided franchise tags, because they award the player with a salary that’s based off the average of the top X players at the position. That projects Jackson to earn…