Pats Pulpit
Jackson was originally scheduled to enter exclusive rights free agency in March.
The New England Patriots have been busy since the Super Bowl. While they have a significant way to go before returning to playoff let alone championship contention, they are laying the groundwork for that one transaction at a time. The latest of those took place on Wednesday, when wide receiver JaQuae Jackson was re-signed.
Originally set to enter exclusive rights free agency, the former undrafted rookie will now stay put for the 2025 season. Let’s assess what the move means for the team.
Jackson joined the Patriots as an undrafted rookie last offseason, and unsurprisingly spent training camp with the second and third teams rather than the starters. It was in this capacity that he suffered an unspecified leg injury in Week 2 of the preseason; he was placed on season-ending injured reserve shortly thereafter.
The Patriots now re-signing him with a month to go until free agency can be interpreted as a positive sign, both when it comes to his recovery and his general outlook. New England wouldn’t have kept him, even on a cheap contract, if there were doubts about his leg or his ability to develop into an NFL-caliber wide receiver.
Obviously, the product on the field will be the judge of that. At the very least, he appears to be headed in a direction the Patriots are pleased with.
With Jackson returning, the Patriots have retained their entire wide receiver corps from a year ago. From a contractual standpoint, he and practice squad wideout John Jiles were the only uncertainties heading into the offseason. Now, both have been taken care of: Jackson has been retained via the ERFA tender, while Jiles signed a reserve/futures deal in January.
As a result of those moves, New England’s wide receiver group now stands at seven deep:
Wide receiver (7): Kayshon Boutte, Kendrick Bourne, DeMario Douglas, Ja’Lynn Polk, Javon Baker, John Jiles, JaQuae Jackson
Out of those seven receivers, Kayshon Boutte, Javon Baker, John Jiles and JaQuae Jackson project primarily as perimeter targets. Kendrick Bourne and Ja’Lynn Polk, on the other hand, better fit the Z-receiver mold, with DeMario Douglas a pure slot.
Obviously, though, the group as its stands today will look drastically different come training camp and the regular season. An influx of talent is almost guaranteed considering New England’s resources both from a salary cap perspective — more on that in a second — as well as the draft portfolio they own.
A player like Jackson, who projects to be on the roster bubble will face an uphill battle. Nonetheless, he will at least get an opportunity to prove himself relative to his competition. And with nobody on the current receiver depth chart safe, who knows what the team will ultimately decide to do when it comes to building the roster and practice squad.
The Patriots entered the week...
