https://theathletic.com/3183818/2022/03/14/chargers-add-marquee-free-agent-cornerback-j-c-jackson-bringing-more-star-power-to-their-defense/

Chargers add marquee free agent cornerback J.C. Jackson, bringing more
star power to their defense

By Daniel Popper
March 14, 2022

The Chargers continued their defensive makeover Monday, agreeing to
terms with former Patriots cornerback J.C. Jackson, The Athletic confirmed.

The deal is for five years and $82.5 million with $40 million fully
guaranteed, according to The Athletic’s Jeff Howe. ESPN was first to
report the contract details. The $16.5 million in average annual value
is tied for sixth among all cornerbacks.

The move comes less than a week after the Chargers traded two draft
picks to the Bears for edge rusher Khalil Mack. Brandon Staley’s
defense, which ranked 26th in Football Outsiders’ DVOA last season, is
now loaded with star power between Jackson, Mack, Joey Bosa and Derwin
James.

James tweeted his approval of the deal Monday, posting a photo of
himself and Jackson at the Pro Bowl with the caption “LFG” and several
lightning bolt emojis.

How he fits

Jackson slides in immediately as the Chargers’ top outside cornerback
and adds a premium talent to a group that struggled at times amid
injuries in 2021. Staley entered this offseason looking for corners who
could thrive in man coverage. Jackson fits that mold. The Patriots
played the fourth-most man coverage of any defense in football in 2021,
according to TruMedia. Jackson has thrived in Bill Belichick’s man-heavy
defensive scheme in his four NFL seasons. He leads the NFL in
interceptions since joining the league in 2018 with 25, including 17
over his past two seasons. Jackson will not turn 27 until November.
Youth, potential, ball production and man-to-man capacity were all
factors in this signing. As Staley said at the combine, “playing zone is
the worst thing to play” against elite quarterbacks. Jackson will allow
Staley to play the way he wants to play, with more man coverage. The
Chargers ranked 14th in man coverage rate in 2021, according to TruMedia.

2022 impact

This signing is a strong indication that 2021 second-round pick Asante
Samuel Jr. will now move inside to the slot in sub-packages. Both Staley
and general manager Tom Telesco mentioned Samuel moving to the slot as a
possibility at the combine. Samuel was a rookie last season, and to ease
his transition into the league, Staley and the Chargers’ defensive staff
opted to play him exclusively outside. The strategy worked, and Samuel,
despite dealing with two concussions, had a very encouraging rookie
year. Now that Samuel has more experience, the Chargers will be
comfortable moving him around. Jackson will allow Samuel to showcase
that flexibility. I would expect Samuel and Jackson to play outside in
base packages, with Samuel moving inside in nickel and dime. Michael
Davis, who signed a three-year extension last offseason, would come on
as the outside corner in those sub-packages. The Jackson deal is also
telling as far as how they feel about Davis as a player. Davis was
inconsistent last season and struggled to quickly grasp the complexities
of Staley’s coverage systems.

History

Jackson signed with the Patriots as an undrafted free agent out of
Maryland in 2018. He started his college career at Florida but was
dismissed from the program in the spring of 2015 after he was charged
with four felony counts related to a home invasion and robbery,
according to the Washington Post. He was found not guilty. Jackson then
transferred to Riverside City College in Riverside, Calif., before
arriving at Maryland for the 2016 season. He went from undrafted to one
of the most productive cornerbacks in football in four seasons. His 25
interceptions have come in just 62 career games. Jackson did not become
a full-time starter until this past season. He was named a second-team
All-Pro and made his first Pro Bowl, where he spent time chopping it up
with James, a fellow Florida native. James and Jackson were high school
7-on-7 teammates, according to Peter King.

Cap update

Jackson is due a $25 million signing bonus with guaranteed salaries of
$3 million in 2022 and $12 million in 2023, according to Pro Football
Focus. That combines for his $40 million fully guaranteed at signing.
Based on those figures, Jackson will have an $8 million cap hit in 2022
and a $17 million cap hit in 2023. Between the Mack trade, the Mike
Williams extension and the Jackson deal, the Chargers are getting pretty
close to their spending limit. I have them at $4.488 million in spending
space, factoring in the money they need to pay their draft picks and a
$7 million in-season budget. However, the Chargers could save an
additional $10.75 million in cap space by cutting offensive tackle Bryan
Bulaga. That seems like a formality at this point considering the moves
they have made thus far. The Chargers could also leave less for
in-season budgeting. The $7 million is around what Telesco has left
himself in recent seasons. But one thing that is already clear this
offseason: Telesco is not operating like he normally does.

Outlook

The Chargers are doing everything they can to maximize Justin Herbert’s
rookie-contract window. They traded for a 31-year-old edge rusher in
Mack, taking on more than $60 million in remaining salary over the next
three years, according to Over The Cap. They splurged on a marquee
cornerback free agent. This is an entirely new process of team building
for the Chargers and Telesco. They are now finding cornerstone pieces
through trade and free agency. It is the Staley influence. The Chargers
ranked dead last in third-down defense last season. Poor and
inconsistent coverage played a huge part in that. The Jackson signing is
intended to improve that area. Now, the Chargers must focus on building
up their defensive line. The miserable third-down performance was also
related to porous run defense on early downs. With the secondary
bolstered, finding run-stuffing defensive linemen is now the free-agency
priority.

Robin Miller <robin.miller@invalid.invalid> writes:

> https://theathletic.com/3183818/2022/03/14/chargers-add-marquee-free-agent-cornerback-j-c-jackson-bringing-more-star-power-to-their-defense/

> How he fits
>
> Jackson slides in immediately as the Chargers’ top outside cornerback
> and adds a premium talent to a group that struggled at times amid
> injuries in 2021. Staley entered this offseason looking for corners
> who could thrive in man coverage. Jackson fits that mold.

I don't have a specific link or quote, but Florio said something to the
effect that Staley told him that to play the defensive system Staley
wants to play, he needed to add a premium CB [or was it plural CBs?] to
do it properly.

In news:87pmmniyq8.fsf@hotmail.com, Eddie Grove <eddiegrove@hotmail.com> typed:

> Robin Miller <robin.miller@invalid.invalid> writes:

>> https://theathletic.com/3183818/2022/03/14/chargers-add-marquee-free-agent-cornerback-j-c-jackson-bringing-more-star-power-to-their-defense/

>> How he fits

>> Jackson slides in immediately as the Chargers' top outside cornerback
>> and adds a premium talent to a group that struggled at times amid
>> injuries in 2021. Staley entered this offseason looking for corners
>> who could thrive in man coverage. Jackson fits that mold.

> I don't have a specific link or quote, but Florio said something to the
> effect that Staley told him that to play the defensive system Staley
> wants to play, he needed to add a premium CB [or was it plural CBs?] to
> do it properly.

I'm starting to think George Allen has been resurrected.

"The future is NOW!"

This is gonna throw the mock drafts for a loop.

The contract details are out. Basically he gets $12M for walking in the
door, and then $14M/year each year for 5 years, the first two years
guaranteed, for a total $40M guaranteed. However, front-loaded contracts
like these make the players more likely to try to force a renegotiation
for the final year or two or else a trade. It might turn out to have
been a 3 year contract for $54.375M if he gets traded after 3 years.

Full details:
https://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2022/03/14/inside-the-j-c-jackson-deal/

Cap hits: [unreliable after first year due to likely restructuring]
https://overthecap.com/player/j-c-jackson/7237/
$8M cap hit in 2022.

I think they are pushing too much cap down the road, but I think that
of nearly every contract. Everybody says their goal is to win a super
bowl, but everyone acts as if 1 more regular season win this year is
more important than maximizing cumulative medium term super bowl chances.