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J.C. Jackson Becomes Steelers Target as Patriots End Contract Talks

The Patriots and Jackson have left the door open for teams like the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Noah Strackbein

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Could the Pittsburgh Steelers find a star cornerback on the free agency market? Well, with the New England Patriots ending conversations with J.C. Jackson, the possibility is now there. 

Jackson told NBC Sports Phil Perry that he and the Patriots have not continued contract talks as the franchise tag window opens. 

"I guess they feel like they don't need me," Jackson said. "I guess I can't be that important to them. I know I am, but they're not showing me."

Jackson played the 2021 season under a second-round tender worth $3.38 million. As an undrafted free agent, the 26-year-old has played on base salary contracts for three of his four seasons, making $480,000 (2018), $570,000 (2019) and $750,000 (2020).

The Patriots have two weeks to place the franchise tag on Jackson if a long-term deal isn't done. 

If New England doesn't retain their star corner, however, the Steelers become an immediate option for Jackson. They currently have Cam Sutton, Justin Layne and James Pierre under contract for the 2022 season and could look to spend some of their expected $29.5 million in cap space on the position.

Jackson would be in the market for a four-year, $77 million deal, according to Spotrac. 

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Noah Strackbein
NOAH STRACKBEIN

Noah is the Publisher for All Steelers, Inside the Panthers (InsideThePanthers.com) and Inside the Penguins (InsidethePenguins.com), and is the host of All Steelers Talk (YouTube.com/AllSteelersTalk). A Scranton native, Noah made his way to the Pittsburgh sports scene in 2017. Now, he's pretty much full-yinzer.

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