NY Jets have interest in signing CB J.C. Jackson, per report

The NY Jets will be looking to upgrade their secondary this offseason, and if they plan to do so in free agency, they may not find a better option than New England Patriots cornerback J.C. Jackson.

In fact, Jackson might be the top player available at any position this offseason with Spotrac projecting the talented cornerback to receive a contract worth more than $20 million per season.

Even still, it seems only reasonable that the Jets would be all over a player as talented as Jackson, especially at a position of need. And that does appear to be the case, at least to some degree.

ESPN's Rich Cimini is reporting that the Jets are, indeed, interested in the Patriots star cornerback. However, Cimini did indicate that it's "likely just due diligence" on their part.

Don't expect the NY Jets to be serious contenders for J.C. Jackson

Despite the Jets' interest, it does seem unlikely that they will make a serious attempt to sign Jackson. This isn't to say he isn't a great player, of course.

On the surface, Jackson is everything the Jets are looking for. At just 26-years-old, Jackson is one of the NFL's best ballhawks with a whopping 22 interceptions over the last three seasons.

The Jets like the young cornerbacks on their roster, but they don't believe they have a true No. 1 corner on their team. On top of that, they realize the need to create turnovers on defense and few are better at doing that than Jackson.

Jackson is going to receive a hefty payday from some team, but it's hard to believe it will be the Jets.

While Jackson is undeniably a top-tier talent, he wouldn't necessarily be a great fit in the Jets' zone-heavy scheme. The Florida native is predominantly a man-cover cornerback and doesn't have a ton of experience playing in a scheme similar to Robert Saleh's.

That, combined with his massive market, likely means the Jets won't be willing to pay the necessary price. Look for them to instead target a player like Carlton Davis whose market might be slightly less lucrative and someone who is a better scheme fit.

As for J.C. Jackson, Cimini is right. This is probably just the standard due diligence.