Bengals interested in JC Jackson

[|BlackJesus|]

Bengals ‘reportedly’ interested in free agent cornerback J.C. Jackson

This would be an all-time splash.

By John Sheeran@John__Sheeran  

Mar 8, 2022, 8:51pm EST  

 

Photo by Michael Allio/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images

 

When the Cincinnati Bengals have made splashes in free agency, it’s been the defense that has benefited.

 

New England Patriots Pro Bowl cornerback J.C. Jackson would be the biggest splash yet.

 

Per insider Jordan Schultz of The Game Day NFL, Jackson, who’s soon to enter the free agency market, has interest from the Bengals along with the Los Angeles Chargers, San Francisco 49ers, and Miami Dolphins.

 

 

Not only is Jackson the best cornerback set to hit free agency, he’s arguably the best player overall. In his four years in New England, the former undrafted free agent grew into a starting defensive back in Bill Belichick’s defense. 2021 was his first year as a full-time starter, and he ended up making his first Pro Bowl and earned Second-Team All-Pro honors.

 

Despite only starting 39 games in four years, Jackson already has 25 interceptions to his name, including 17 in the last two seasons alone. The only other player with more than 20 interceptions since 2018 is Miami Dolphins cornerback Xavien Howard (23)

 

In fact, 25 is the most interceptions for a player’s first four years in the entire Super Bowl era!

 

That statistic alone could make Jackson the highest-paid cornerback in the league in a week’s time. Jalen Ramsey currently holds that distinction, and Ramsey’s deal ($20 million AAV) is precisely what Jackson wants, per NFL Network insider Mike Giardi.

 

 

Jackson might end up being worth that kind of deal, but that deal is not something you should expect the Bengals to offer. If they aren’t willing to pony up the money for Jessie Bates III, a player and leader they drafted and developed, then they sure aren’t going to give it to a free agent from another team and system.

 

It’s entirely plausible that the Bengals do have some level of interest in Jackson. He’s a phenomenal player who is still just 26 years old. His best days are ahead of him. He’s the kind of player that not only the Bengals like, but every team likes.

 

And that’s why he’s going to get paid as such.

 

If the Bengals end up with Jackson, it’ll be because he took significantly less money—guaranteed and non-guaranteed—just to play in Cincinnati. It will not be because the Bengals outbid the likes of the Dolphins and 49ers, who are consistent players in the top-tier free agent market.

 

So nice try, Jackson’s agent.

 

https://www.cincyjungle.com/2022/3/8/22968207/nfl-rumors-bengals-j-c-jackson-patriots-news-pats-free-agents-2022

[|BlackJesus|]

Mike Hilton was recruiting him on Twitter ... 

 

 

[|BlackJesus|]

USA Today listed the Bengals as one of the 5 best locations for JC Jackson, saying ... 

 

 

Cincinnati Bengals

To be perfectly forward, the Bengals are not Super Bowl champions and did not beat the Rams because their offensive line can’t pass block. That isn’t debatable. If Cincinnati had but one more passable offensive lineman, Joe Burrow would be fitting his ring finger soon.

 

But there are other significant flaws the suddenly flush-with-cash Bengals ($48 million in cap space) should address. You see, in making the jump to the Super Bowl in Burrow’s second year as a starter, the Bengals might have skipped a few steps in the usual trajectory of a contender. They were not the typical formidable conference champion because they had more pressing needs than you’d expect from a team that won three playoff games.

 

One of those potholes is cornerback. I’m sure he feels different, but Eli Apple probably will not be a starting boundary corner on a championship team. The Rams and Cooper Kupp already proved that to be true.

 

Cincinnati has a bevy of cap space. Outside of apparent offensive line additions, the Bengals will definitely be throwing money around at stars in a couple of weeks. They’d be silly to rest on their laurels despite falling just short. One of those stars should be Jackson, as he would solidify the back-end for another team with perennial late January expectations.

 

It’s honestly incredible that the Patriots would even consider a future without Jackson. Hey, more power to him, and whichever fortunate team gets to see him take over half a field for their defense.

 

https://ftw.usatoday.com/lists/new-england-patriots-jc-jackson-los-angeles-chargers-cincinnati-bengals-kansas-city-chiefs-nfl-2022

[|BlackJesus|]

Bengals Free Agency: Cincinnati would be a Superteam with J.C. Jackson

by Leigh Oleszczak

1 day ago

Bengals free agency is a little over a week away from officially getting underway and one of the best names expected to hit the open market is cornerback J.C. Jackson. If the Cincinnati Bengals could find a way to get Jackson in the orange and black stripes, they’d be one step closer to being a Superteam in 2022.

 

Crazy enough, Jackson went undrafted in the 2018 NFL Draft and eventually found his way to New England. After four terrific seasons with the Patriots, Jackson — who is only 26 years old — is going to be one of the hottest commodities in free agency.

 

Jackson put together an amazing season in 2021, defending 23 passes and recording an astounding eight interceptions through 17 starts. He’s been mostly durable during his four-year career and is in line to get a massive payday.

 

Pro Football Focus projects that Jackson will earn a four-year deal worth $72 million. This would keep him in the Queen City until he’s 30 years old so the opportunity for another huge payday would definitely be there.

 

Bengals Free Agency: J.C. Jackson is a dream target

Everyone knows that Cincinnati will be fixating predominantly on finding offensive linemen this offseason because that was the reason they lost the Super Bowl. Their lack of protection for Joe Burrow proved costly and that’s why the Bengals will likely put a lot of their funds into the o-line.

 

With that said, however, Cincinnati still needs help in their secondary. Chidobe Awuzie is returning in 2022 but the team is losing Eli Apple and Trae Waynes this offseason (well, they should be losing Waynes) and need to find a CB2 moving forward. Pairing Awuzie and Jackson in the secondary would give the Bengals one of the best defenses in the league.

NEXT:4 Bengals Who Don't Deserve Another Season

I’d be surprised if J.C. Jackson ended up in Cincinnati but at the same time, they have the cap space to add key players and Jackson would give them a shutdown corner for the foreseeable future.

 

https://stripehype.com/2022/03/07/bengals-free-agency-jc-jackson-superteam/

[|BlackJesus|]

Report: Bengals Interested in Patriots Cornerback J.C. Jackson

Will Cincinnati land the top free agent cornerback?

• JAMES RAPIEN
• 2 HOURS AGO

 

CINCINNATI — The Bengals are interested in signing Patriots cornerback J.C. Jackson according to NFL insider Jordan Schultz. 

New England didn't place the franchise tag on the 26-year-old prior to Tuesday's 4 p.m. ET deadline. 

 

The Chargers, 49ers and Dolphins are also interested in him according to the report. 

 

Jackson had 58 tackles and eight interceptions last season. He has 17 interceptions combined over the past two seasons.

 

The Bengals have taken big swings on defensive players in each of the past two offseasons. First, they signed DJ Reader to a four-year, $53 million deal in the spring of 2020. Then, they followed that up by inking Trey Hendrickson to a four-year, $60 million contract last March. 

 

Both players played a big role in Cincinnati's Super Bowl run. Would the Bengals be willing to follow that up by signing Jackson to a long-term contract?

 

Pro Football Focus projects him to sign a four-year, $72 million deal. It may sound farfetched, but Cincinnati could free up nearly $17 million in cap space by releasing Trae Waynes and Trey Hopkins. 

 

If they took that room and applied it to Jackson, they'd still have space to make a run at quality veteran offensive linemen in free agency. 

 

Adding Jackson to a defensive backfield that includes Jessie Bates, Vonn Bell, Chidobe Awuzie and Mike Hilton would give the Bengals one of the best secondaries in the NFL. 

 

https://www.si.com/nfl/bengals/gm-report/bengals-interested-patriots-cornerback-jc-jackson

[|BlackJesus|]

Quote

It may sound farfetched, but Cincinnati could free up nearly $17 million in cap space by releasing Trae Waynes and Trey Hopkins. 

 

 

That is a swap worth making. Waynes and Hopins for JC Jackson. A no brainer! 

[|BlackJesus|]

I think the Bengals should definitely consider this. As I think it would give them the BEST secondary in the NFL.

 

Free Agency in some ways is like the draft, you have your team needs, but you also have to go for the best players available. Of course it would be amazing if the Bengals could sign 2-3 OL in free agency, but if they can only get 1, but also get dominant players at other positions, there are many ways to build a championship team. 

 

26 year old shutdown corners do not hit free agency ever really. It is only because the Patriots seem to have a problem paying high prices for anyone and Bill B thinks he's the smartest guy in the room because he rode Brady to all those Super Bowls - that he's not being tagged. 

 

I say the Bengals go hard and offer JC Jackson a 4 year 80 million dollar deal, (40 guaranteed). Then they will still have money to go after Armstead, Jensen, or Bozeman and any other FA they need. 

 

 

[|High School Harry|]

9 hours ago, BlackJesus said:

 

 

That is a swap worth making. Waynes and Hopins for JC Jackson. A no brainer! 

Excellent thread, as usual, Dr Jesus.

And I agree.

How about I see your Waynes and Hopkins and up it an Apple?

Yes, please.

 

As far as Apple, I am skeptical that he return to his original form

not falling from his original tree and getting close to his roots.

I consider him risky for the bucks he will want.

 

I also like the freak cornerback in the draft mentioned elsewhere...

Trade up in round 3 to get him?  Assuming he is still there.

[WRAPradio]

It would be great to have him, but not at those numbers.  We made to to the SB with Eli Apple as our #2.  Spend that money on the OL and DL, sign a #2 CB in FA, and keep Eli as our 4th corner.  

 

Here are our needs as I see them:

 

1. OL (at least OG, OT, but really OG, OG, C, RT)

2. DL (3 tech)

3. DL (edge)

4. TE

5. CB

 

I think it's possible to get at least 2 OL, a TE and a CB in free agency.  Then going into the draft we'd have to focus on OL and DL and this is a good draft for those.

[Jamie_B]

8 minutes ago, WRAPradio said:

It would be great to have him, but not at those numbers.  We made to to the SB with Eli Apple as our #2.  Spend that money on the OL and DL, sign a #2 CB in FA, and keep Eli as our 4th corner.  

 

Here are our needs as I see them:

 

1. OL (at least OG, OT, but really OG, OG, C, RT)

2. DL (3 tech)

3. DL (edge)

4. TE

5. CB

 

I think it's possible to get at least 2 OL, a TE and a CB in free agency.  Then going into the draft we'd have to focus on OL and DL and this is a good draft for those.

 

 

I think OG and C are real possibilities in FA. And I think it's Tomlinson and Jensen. Next up I think they bring back Uzomah, Apple, and maybe Spain (though I think they will hope/expect Carman to eventually beat him for the starting role). Also think we will keep one of but likely not both Ogunjobi and Hill. 

 

That leaves us going into the draft needing an RT to be a starter, and the rest of that list you mentioned guys that will start as backups and potentially move into a starting role.

 

I also think even if they need a RT as a starter you may see them stick to BPA and depending on who is there they may go CB (I like Elam out of FL) with the 1st pick and try to address RT in 2 as I think they feel good about D'Ante Smith. (He did do well at LT against Cleveland in week 17)

[sparky151]

We can't go into the draft needing a starting O-lineman. That's right out. 

 

We can go into the draft needing a CB2 or starting DT.

[Jamie_B]

37 minutes ago, sparky151 said:

We can't go into the draft needing a starting O-lineman. That's right out. 

 

We can go into the draft needing a CB2 or starting DT.

 

 

What's the market for mid-tier RT's in FA? I don't see them paying a top end RT or even LT and moving Jonah to RT (something I think they are more open to than they we're last year reading the tea leaves from that Pollack interview).

 

My understanding is that G and C in FA is much more crowded where they can get good value than RT is.

[|High School Harry|]

I'm liking Black Jesus's thinking along the lines of signing the top tier CB for big bucks more and more.

Of course we need OL in a super desperate way but how many times will a guy like this be available.

OK... every year.

I think this is similar to last year when we put out big bucks for Hendrickson and let what'-his-name who

ran real fast past the quarterback walk.  I don't think a lot of people were 100% on board with the signing

at the expense of Mr Potential.

 

Losing Hopkins, Waynes and, yes (imho) Apple for Jackson sounds doable without killing the cap.

There will be other cap eaters lost later, too. So still enough $$ for a good OLman.

 

Maybe think of this guy as the Hendrickson of our cornerback crew.

[sparky151]

3 hours ago, Jamie_B said:

 

 

What's the market for mid-tier RT's in FA? I don't see them paying a top end RT or even LT and moving Jonah to RT (something I think they are more open to than they we're last year reading the tea leaves from that Pollack interview).

 

My understanding is that G and C in FA is much more crowded where they can get good value than RT is.

We could probably re-sign Reiff or upgrade to Moses for about 8 mil per year. 

 

If we don't sign a starting RT, we'd be going into the draft with pick 31 committed to someone like Raimann. He might be off the board before we pick and even then he'd be a rookie who is new to the position. Not what Burrow's knees need. 

[Jamie_B]

1 minute ago, sparky151 said:

We could probably re-sign Reiff or upgrade to Moses for about 8 mil per year. 

 

If we don't sign a starting RT, we'd be going into the draft with pick 31 committed to someone like Raimann. He might be off the board before we pick and even then he'd be a rookie who is new to the position. Not what Burrow's knees need. 

 

 

I keep getting the feeling from the stuff I hear that Reiff might be ready to call it quits. I'm also not sure they would go the route of Morgan Moses, who is 31. They tend to like younger guys.

[sparky151]

There aren't any great RTs on the market this year. They could trade for one but it would likely require a new deal for the player and be expensive. Moses is an upgrade from Reiff and moderately priced. 31 isn't old for an O-lineman, they could expect 2 or 3 good years from him. 

[Jamie_B]

3 hours ago, sparky151 said:

There aren't any great RTs on the market this year. They could trade for one but it would likely require a new deal for the player and be expensive. Moses is an upgrade from Reiff and moderately priced. 31 isn't old for an O-lineman, they could expect 2 or 3 good years from him. 

 

 

Which is exactly why I won't be completely surprised if they go into the draft not having one. 

[sparky151]

Don't be Bengalized. This offseason, Cincinnati is a choice destination for free agents, especially O-linemen. If we are offering the same money as other teams, we'll probably get the guys we want. 

[Gremzz]

Hopefully someone like Bozeman won't break the bank and Reiff and Spain shouldn't command massive pay days.

 

You can still hit the draft hard for OLine and pay Jackson.

[Gremzz]

My concerns are with guaranteed money. I assume quite a few Free Agents will want to be in Cincy, but not knowing the comparable offers from other teams with more cash up front it's hard to know what to expect

[UncleEarl]

I would rather see the Bengals resign Apple, draft a CB in the first two rounds and spend that money on OL.  
 

There may not be any great RTs out there, but we don’t need great to be an upgrade.  Just serviceable.  Reiff wasn’t great.  Same goes at G and C.  Just get some guys who are average and it will be a nice upgrade.  Give guys like Carman and Smith another year to see if they have it.  Draft a couple more for depth.  
 

Finally, guys that NE let’s move on don’t often have their best years ahead of them.  I wouldn’t give this guy $20M. 

[Jamie_B]

12 hours ago, sparky151 said:

Don't be Bengalized. This offseason, Cincinnati is a choice destination for free agents, especially O-linemen. If we are offering the same money as other teams, we'll probably get the guys we want. 

 

We don't want to get into a bidding war either. If a guy is looking for the big pay day rather than wanting to be on a winning team, let him go get paid elsewhere. We can still pay guys what they are worth but I'm not overpaying anyone. 

 

Not even Jessie Bates, who I really hope they get a deal done with.

[claptonrocks]

12 hours ago, Gremzz said:

Hopefully someone like Bozeman won't break the bank and Reiff and Spain shouldn't command massive pay days.

 

You can still hit the draft hard for OLine and pay Jackson.

Tag Bates and sign Jackson to a huge contract?

I dont believe the'll do that..

Re-sign their own and add vet olinemen would be prudent..