Initial grades for 10 of the biggest deals from NFL free agency

Chargers sign JC Jackson in NFL free agency

Deal: 5-year, 82.5 million

Grade: A+

Easily the best deal of the day and it isn’t close. J.C. Jackson has been nothing short of elite over the past two seasons. His man coverage has been one of, if not the, best traits of his game. He is the proverbial lock-down cornerback that can match up against top weapons every week. Add in his obscene turnover production (17 interceptions over the past two seasons) and Jackson is a dynamic defensive threat.

I will be upfront: I thought Jackson was going to reset the cornerback market, and rightfully so. His play has been solid in each of the four seasons he suited up for the Patriots, but in the last two in particular it was hard to find a better cornerback than him. The fact that he still isn’t paid like a top-five cornerback is beyond shocking to me.

The Chargers got a steal despite handing out one of the biggest contracts of the day (A rare feat). 16.5 million per season for Jackson is an underpay, as I envisioned him getting closer to 20 million a season. In what should be a tough division, the Chargers did well to lock up a legit shutdown cornerback. This deal was an easy win for the team.