The Patriots have officially exercised Jason McCourty‘s option for the 2020 season, according to ESPN.com’s Field Yates (on Twitter). The cornerback will earn nearly $4MM as a result and the move may help the Patriots retain his twin brother Devin McCourty. 
The twins, 33 in August, previously said that they plan to continue playing in the NFL. However, Devin is slated to reach free agency in a couple of weeks, where he could fetch some big money offers. The Patriots want to keep him, but they’re also not inclined to pay open market money to their own FAs.
Last year, Jason appeared in 12 games (ten starts) and registered 39 tackles and one interception. His performance earned him a 74.4 grade from Pro Football Focus, ranking him 17th among all qualified cornerbacks. Despite his advanced age, that makes his 2020 salary a tremendous value for the Pats. Meanwhile, Bill Belichick & Co. are hoping that this leads to a new deal with Devin, who has been a mainstay in their secondary at multiple spots since 2010.
Devin, for his part, has voiced concern about quarterback Tom Brady potentially leaving the team. But regardless of where Brady and the standout safety wind up, the Patriots will hold the rights to Jason.
Wasn’t this already out last week. Wtf.