Giants general manager Dave Gettleman obviously doesn’t think he foolishly overpaid for cornerback Adoree’ Jackson — even if some of his colleagues disagree.
NFL executives recently spoke to The Athletic’s Mike Sando, and ripped Gettleman for the Jackson contract — $39 million over three years, with $25 million guaranteed at signing.
On Tuesday, during a video chat with reporters, Gettleman smiled when told of those comments — and brushed them off.
“Well, my reaction to that is: One of the things that makes America a great place is everybody is entitled to an opinion,” Gettleman said. “Time will tell.”
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Here’s what one executive told Sando about Jackson: “The Adoree’ Jackson deal was inexcusable. And then they went and jeopardized their future cap by converting guys [adjusting existing contracts] to get all these deals done. The potential for disaster is high.”
Another executive said this: “What they paid was ridiculous to me, but who they got wasn’t a problem. I don’t know how they got Adoree’ Jackson to $13 million. Adoree’ is talented, but has been hurt a lot.”
And a third executive: “Going into free agency, the [salary] cap was lower, and a lot of teams did not have much ammo. The longer you waited, the bigger the bargains were going to be. Adoree’ Jackson was late in the process. He should have been a bargain — and he wasn’t. That was questionable.”
Jackson was the 18th overall draft pick in 2017, so he’s still young. He turns 26 in September. He clearly has age on his side, even though he was limited to just three games last season with the Titans, who released him in March, before his fifth-year option season. He played 11 games in 2019, after playing full seasons in 2017 and 2018.
Jackson has just two career interceptions, but does have good Pro Football Focus grades. From 2017-19, his season grades were 74.6, 73.0, and 79.9 (out of 100). And in 2019, he had an 82.5 coverage grade. So he played very well in 2019, though he missed five regular season games. When healthy, he could be an asset for the Giants, who needed a No. 2 corner.
Jackson better be ready to get targeted a lot, as he starts opposite James Bradberry. Gettleman believes he is up to the task.
Ultimately, why does Gettleman think Jackson was worth this contract?
“He’s got inside/outside flex,” Gettleman said, noting Jackson’s ability to play slot or outside corner. “He’s a legitimate cover guy. He can run. He’s a very smart football player. He’s got ball skills. All that stuff made him worth that.”
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