Could Patriots Go To Wideout Bargain Bin After J.C. Jackson Trade?

Bill Belichick went bargain shopping Wednesday morning and ended up finding a deal. Now, in the immediate aftermath of New England’s trade for cornerback J.C. Jackson, it’s fair to question if the Patriots boss will continue to walk down the football equivalent of an aisle littered with Hawaiian shirts and summer sundresses.

The Patriots reportedly acquired Jackson in a swap of late-round picks. New England sent a sixth-rounder to the Los Angeles Chargers and received Jackson and a seventh-rounder in return, as first reported by NFL Media’s Ian Rapoport.

And given Belichick’s Patriots reportedly will only pay Jackson $1.5 million for the remainder of the season — LA is taking on the majority of his guaranteed money — you get a deal that would make the thriftiest coupon-clippers jealous. Jackson, who signed a five-year, $82.5 million deal with the Chargers at the start of free agency in 2022, reportedly does not have any guaranteed money after this season. He was offered a cool $40 million guaranteed when he signed.

Belichick wins again, New England fans likely said upon hearing the details. Perhaps another bargain-bin win isn’t too far away?

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The Patriots reportedly made a serious push for Chase Claypool before the Pittsburgh Steelers traded the wideout to the Chicago Bears for a second-round pick ahead of last season’s NFL trade deadline. Belichick even compared Claypool to Rob Gronkowski before New England traveled to face Pittsburgh last September.

After playing a mere 10 games for the Bears, Claypool is back on the trade block. He was a healthy scratch in Week 4 and the organization even told Claypool to stay home. Bears head coach Matt Eberflus told reporters Claypool will remain away from the team until Chicago trades or releases him. It’s what is best for the team, Eberflus told reporters.

Sound familiar? Jackson was a healthy scratch by the Chargers in Weeks 3 and 4. Chargers head coach Brandon Staley thought that was best for the team.

It’s important to note that Claypool and the Bears are at odds due not only to a lack of production but also a lack of effort. After a terrible Week 1 performance in which Claypool struggled to block, the Bears put him “on notice.” Claypool responded by catching four of the next 12 balls thrown his way for merely 51 yards in the next two games.

One difference between the Jackson and Claypool situations, though, is tied to New England’s personnel. The Patriots recently lost starting cornerback Christian Gonzalez to what since has been reported to be a season-ending injury. Belichick’s defense struggled at the position when Myles Bryant and Shaun Wade were thrown into bigger roles against the Dallas Cowboys in Week 4. It made the trade for Jackson’s understandable.

On the other side of the ball, the Patriots have a flurry of receivers with DeVante Parker, JuJu Smith-Schuster, Kendrick Bourne, Demario Douglas and others. The depth at the wideout position actually has limited those like Bourne and Douglas from seeing more snaps themselves. Adding someone like Claypool to the receiver room would hinder them even more. With that, a trade for Claypool doesn’t make as much as the trade for Jackson.

… Unless Belichick was able to get half off the clearance price, of course.