Patriots cornerback JC Jackson has been referred to affectionately as “Just Covers” by fans over the past few years for his top flight secondary play. Jackson is also known as a ball hawk with a knack for interceptions, something he’s lead the league in over the past three plus seasons. Now, Jackson has snagged that stat like he has many an errant pass and folded it and his clutch playmaking ability nicely into his profile.
Some time after Sunday’s 24-6 win over the Carolina Panthers JC Jackson changed his Instagram handle from @jcjackson_7 to @mr.int - a move that fans and internet sleuths picked up on pretty quickly.
JC jackson changed his instagram @ 😂😂 pic.twitter.com/XUDveLIjTA
— ☔️ (@lmfaoceltics) November 8, 2021
It’s a bold change and choice, but Jackson’s got the numbers to back it up. Where the name came from remains a bit of a mystery. Perhaps it was a nickname among teammates, or maybe something injured teammate James White dubbed him Sunday. A cursory check of Twitter shows no sign of Mr. INT references prior to the Carolina game.
Patriots social media was all too happy to hop aboard the marketing opportunity as well.
And why not? It’s catchy, likely to stick and gain traction in social media and amongst Patriots fans. Who better to get the game ball than Mr. INT himself?
As for Jackson, an unrestricted free agent at season’s end, the nickname could be a stroke of promotional savvy. He wants his team, and the league, to know he knows how many INTs he has in his brief NFL career. That number one cornerbacks are valued at a premium in this league, and that he expects to be rewarded handsomely in the offseason.
Perhaps he could be taking a note from his departed teammate and fellow cornerback, Stephon Gilmore, by using social media to get a point across that he wants to get paid? Gilmore was far from shy in his use of social media to express frustration over his contractual status in his final months in New England.
Ultimately it didn’t get him more money, just a trade to Carolina. Jackson is certainly not trying to ruffle feathers, and is under contract with the Patriots for the remainder of the season.
But there’s little doubt he’ll be one of the most coveted free agents in the 2022 offseason. A time when Mr. INT should have his pick of multimillion dollar offers. Will the Patriots break form of not extending their own top flight corner with a massive contract? Time will tell, but if you ask Pats fans...
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