Jason McCourty Wants To Re-Sign With Patriots

Jason McCourty is scheduled to hit the free agent market next month, and the veteran cornerback says his preference is to re-sign with the Patriots, according to Tom E. Curran of NBC Sports Boston.

“First and foremost, if I could be back in New England and all of that works out, that would be awesome,” McCourty said. “That way it wouldn’t be the third consecutive year I had to move my family. That would be an advantage. But at the same time you realize how much of this is a business and how much of this isn’t dictated by (the feeling), ‘Hey, I just want to play here with my brother and the guys I built a relationship with.’ There’s so much more that goes into it.

“For me, (the approach will be) letting it play out. When March rolls around we’ll see where everything’s at and then at the end of the day we’ll see where the opportunities are and then make a decision.”

McCourty, 31, announced earlier this week that he’ll continue his career in 2019, although he told Curran that he never actually considered retirement in the first place. Instead, McCourty was only answering questions about the future of his career because his twin brother — New England safety Devin McCourty — said earlier this year that he was contemplating hanging up his cleats. Devin has since announced he’ll play next season, and is under contract with the Patriots for one more year.

New England acquired Jason McCourty from the Browns in exchange for a 14-slot drop in the sixth/seventh round of the 2018 draft, and he proved to be a valuable pickup. The former sixth-round pick played on 80% of the Patriots’ defensive snaps, grading as the No. 6 cornerback in the league, per Pro Football Focus. McCourty also ranked 21st among corners in Football Outsiders‘ success rate, meaning he was effective at stopping opposing wide receivers short of the sticks.