J.C. Jackson likely is and should be the first priority of the Patriots offseason.
The Pro Bowl cornerback and Mr. INT is not only the best player in the back end of the Patriots defense but one of the elite free agents set to hit the open market when the NFL’s new league year begins on March 16.
Even more timely, Jackson is also a legitimate candidate for New England’s franchise tag, a one-year deal that would pay him more than $17 million. It’s a decision that Bill Belichick and Co. must make before the March 8th deadline.
So there’s good reason that Jackson has been one of the top-of-mind Patriots’ topics in recent weeks heading into another critical New England offseason and draft lead up. He should be.
But there is another decision for another player on the horizon that’s probably not getting the attention it deserves.
Jakobi Meyers is set to become a restricted free agent this March.
While Jackson is clearly a No. 1 corner, Meyers is not a true No. 1 wide receiver, not even with a stretch of fanatic hometown bias. He might not even be a true No. 2 option on a high-end aerial attack.
But he has been the Patriots No. 1 receiver in each of the last two seasons. After catching 26 balls from Tom Brady as a rookie, Meyers led New England with 59 receptions from Cam Newton in the clunky, COVID-altered, playoff-less 2020 season.
Most importantly, last fall, Meyers hauled in a team-best 83 catches for 866 yards and a pair of touchdowns from developing Pro Bowl rookie QB Mac Jones.
Like it or not, want to improve on it or not, right now Meyers is a key central figure in the Patriots passing attack, something that can’t be said of big-money offseason additions from a year ago like Nelson Agholor or Jonnu Smith.
As a restricted free agent, the Patriots can place a contract tender on Meyers for the 2022 season that brings some protections if another NFL team were to poach the productive pass catcher.
After paying Meyers just $850,000 last season, New England could use a right-of-first-refusal tender at an estimated cost of $2.4 million. A second-round tender, meaning the Patriots would get that pick if Meyers were to ink a deal with another team that New England can’t/won’t match, would cost about $3.9 million. And a first-round tender would come in just north of $5.5 million for Meyers.
No matter how it works out, Meyers is going to get a well-deserved bump in pay in 2022.
Of course there is one potentially more palatable option for Jones’ go-to wide receiver and the Patriots: a longer term contract extension.
Why not go to Meyers with a three- or four-year offer to keep him in the mix of the developing Jones-led passing game for a few years? He’s gets financial security and the Patriots get a cost-controlled, proven productive option, something that can’t be said of guys like Agholor and Smith.
Meyers has been a model worker since the day he arrived from North Carolina State, outshining fellow 2019 rookie and first-round pick N’Keal Harry at every step of the way.
Meyers epitomizes Belichick’s receiver perquisite mantra of “get open and catch the football.”
No, Meyers is not the quickest, fastest or most physically impressive receiver in the NFL or even on the Patriots. That’s why he went undrafted out of college despite elite production.
But, that production has continued in the NFL in New England
And it should be rewarded.
In an offseason where Jones already lost his quarterbacks coach and play-caller in departed offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels, keeping Meyers in the mix should be a clear priority.
He has, after all, made it clear that New England is “definitely” the place he wants to be and catching passes from Jones is what he wants to do.
“I love being here. I enjoy my time. I enjoy how I’ve grown as a man and a person,” Meyers said in January of wanting to remain a Patriot. “I feel like I did the best as I can as far as to make my case on the field with my play. But at the end of the day it’s not up to me. I’m excited for the future and hopefully it all works out.”
There is no reason it shouldn’t. Belichick and the Patriots face another offseason with lots of work to be done. Jackson’s future is the hottest of topics in that regard right now. But Meyers should be a pretty high priority as well. Sure, keeping him with an RFA tender will likely get the job done, but signing him to a longer-term deal would probably be an even better business decision for all involved.
