Will Patriots Place Franchise Tag On J.C. Jackson? Window To Tag Players Opens On Tuesday
BOSTON (CBS) -- The season for serious decision-making has officially begun around the NFL. In Foxboro, that likely means a decision is due soon on free agent-to-be J.C. Jackson.
The interception machine is due to become a free agent in March, where he's sure to cash in with a big-money deal from a team interested in acquiring his services. The Patriots, though, have the ability to hang on to him at a premium price by way of the franchise tag if they so desire.
Teams are officially allowed to place the franchise tag on players beginning Tuesday at 4 p.m. ET. That doesn't mean any tags are expected to happen immediately, as the window runs through March 8. But the opening of the window does drive home the reality that the building of next year's roster has officially begun in earnest in 32 NFL homes around the country.
For the Patriots, it will be an interesting decision. Placing the franchise tag on Jackson would keep him in New England for another season, at $17.3 million. Considering that's in line with what he'll likely get as an annual salary on the open market, it's sure to be tempting for Bill Belichick, Matt Groh and Co. when making a determination.
At the same time, different players react in different ways to getting franchise tagged. In some cases, the tag is simply a measure to buy some extra time work out an agreement on a long-term deal. In other cases, the tag -- one way or another -- marks the beginning of the end of a player's run with that team.
Ultimately, if the Patriots want to work out a long-term deal with Jackson -- who has the most interceptions in the NFL since 2019 -- then the franchise tag could buy them some extra time to finagle that. Or, if the Patriots are happy to pay a premium for one more year of Jackson while trying to find his successor either through the draft or free agency, the tag could aid in that endeavor as well. It's also possible that despite Jackson's high interception total, the Patriots aren't interested in dedicating $17 million to him in the coming season and may simply let him go to free agency. A franchise tag in that situation could also be the precursor to a trade. With New England set to not receive any compensatory picks after last year's free-agent spending spree, that could be a way to add a couple of picks to this year's draft board.
We'll get some clarity on where the Patriots stand regarding Jackson over the next two weeks.
