William Jackson III Expected to Get 'Big-Time Pay Day' in Free Agency

Jackson played the first five seasons of his career in Cincinnati

All Bengals Staff | Mar 14, 2021

CINCINNATI — The Bengals didn't place the franchise tag on William Jackson III last week, which opened the door for another team to swoop in and sign their former first-round pick when free agency begins on Wednesday.

The 28-year-old is arguably the top cornerback in the 2021 free agent class. Jackson and Shaquill Griffin of the Seahawks are the only two defensive backs battling for that crown.

"There's two players [cornerbacks] that people within the league expect to get big time pay days here. One is Seattle's Shaquill Griffin. He's only 25-years-old. He's been to a Pro Bowl. He's been highly productive in a scheme that a bunch of teams run," Tom Pelissero of NFL Network said on Sunday. "You also have William Jackson from the Bengals. He's a little bit older, 28-years-old. Those are the two that teams are really focusing in on that are going to get somewhere in the $10-$12, maybe even more than that million dollar per year range."

If the Bengals could sign Jackson to a $10 million per year deal, then they should do it. They took him in the first-round (24th overall) in the 2016 NFL Draft and helped him become one of the best man-to-man cover cornerbacks in the league.

Jackson will likely ask Cincinnati for a contract that exceeds the three-year, $42 million deal the Bengals gave to cornerback Trae Waynes last offseason.

If the market isn't as friendly to Jackson, then there's a chance the Bengals can keep him around, but his days in Cincinnati could be numbered.

All 32 teams can begin negotiating with players on Monday at Noon when the NFL's open negotiating period for unrestricted free agency begins. Free agency officially starts on Wednesday at 4 p.m. ET.

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