Adoree’ Jackson had a lengthy spell on the open market come to an end once he took a visit with the Giants last week. That move immediately resulted in a contract being worked out, one which will allow the veteran corner to resume his New York tenure.

Jackson signed a three-year, $39MM deal in 2021 to join the Giants; he operated as a starting corner throughout that time. 2023 was not a strong season, however, as the 28-year-old allowed a 95.5 passer rating and 65.9% completion percentage in coverage. Allowing his contract to expire in March, the team made other moves in the secondary. The starting CB spot opposite Deonte Banks remained a question mark entering roster cuts, though, and Jackson could reprise his first-team defensive role.

The 28-year-old spoke to the media on Monday while reflecting on his free agency. He said (via Ryan Dunleavy of the New York Post) he did not visit any other teams prior to meeting with the Giants. That explains his months-long spell on the market, and it also underscores the mutual interest which existed in a New York reunion. Jackson added he did not make a starting gig a condition of his decision to re-sign, but he did seek out signs from the team that he was “truly wanted back” (h/t Pat Leonard of the New York Daily News).

A full-time starting spot may not be feasible for Jackson in Week 1 given the short turnaround from his signing to the start of the regular season. He will be an option to log at least a rotational in the secondary, though, and he could also make an impact on special teams. With Gunner Olszewski not at full strength, head coach Brian Daboll named Jackson (via Dunleavy) as a candidate to handle punt return duties.

Jackson regularly handled punts during part of his tenure in Tennessee, totaling 50 returns across the 2017 and ’18 seasons. He has not been used in that role very much since then, but 2024 could see him fill in for Olszewski on a temporary basis if needed. Jackson is on a one-year deal, and his value will be determined by his success in whatever role he winds up carving out for himself upon returning to New York.

5:26pm: Jackson has indeed worked out a deal to remain with the Giants in 2024, Ian Rapoport and Mike Garafolo report. To no surprise, this will be a one-year agreement. Jackson will have the opportunity to once again serve in a notable role in New York before hitting the open market next spring.

9:25am: Steady updates of Giants concerns about their No. 2 cornerback spot may be leading them back to their previous plan. Although the team was not believed to be eyeing another deal with Adoree’ Jackson during the offseason, it looks like the situation has changed.

Jackson is meeting with the Giants today and is negotiating a deal to return, veteran NFL reporter Jordan Schultz tweets. The last of PFR’s top 50 free agents to remain unsigned, the veteran cornerback may soon have a second Giants contract in place. The former first-round pick started 36 games with the team on his previous deal. Mutual interest exists in a reunion, Schultz adds.

The Giants initially brought in Jackson on a three-year, $39MM deal during Dave Gettleman‘s final offseason in charge. They paired him with 2020 free agency pickup James Bradberry. Those two big-ticket contracts overlapped with Daniel Jones‘ rookie deal. With Jones now in Year 2 of a $40MM-AAV extension, the Giants had scaled back in the secondary. Two years after cutting Bradberry, the team let Xavier McKinney walk in free agency and was not intending to re-sign Jackson. But his replacement candidates have not seized the boundary job opposite 2023 first-rounder Deonte Banks.

Previously pinning their hopes on 2022 third-rounder Cor’Dale Flott — the team’s primary slot corner from 2022-23 — taking over for Jackson outside, the Giants saw the young defender struggle before suffering an injury earlier this month. Flott’s status moved Nick McCloud (11 career starts) into the mix to land the job, but a recent report suggested the Giants were looking into cornerback additions. They added veteran Duke Shelley to their practice squad Thursday; Jackson would qualify as a higher-profile pickup.

Jackson, 29 in September, missed time with an MCL sprain in 2022 but returned to help the Giants contain Justin Jefferson in the team’s wild-card upset. This came after Pro Football Focus had viewed the former Titans first-round pick as a top-20 corner in 2021. The Giants asked Jackson to shift to the slot to accommodate sixth-round rookie Tre Hawkins to open last season. Once Don Martindale benched the Day 3 rookie early in the season, Jackson was back in his old job — with Flott back in the slot — after weeks of inside training. PFF slotted Jackson outside the top 100 among CBs in 2023.

Although the Giants changed defensive systems this offseason, Jackson has experience with new DC Shane Bowen. Drafted during Mike Mularkey‘s HC run, the USC alum’s Tennessee tenure overlapped partially with Bowen’s. The current New York defensive honcho was in place as Titans outside linebackers coach during part of Jackson’s Tennessee tenure. Though, the Titans cut Jackson — who had missed extensive time due to injury in 2020 — ahead of Bowen’s first DC season. This came back when teams could pick up players’ fifth-year options and cut them free of charge. Jackson’s 2017 rookie class was the last to not have their Year 5 options fully guaranteed.

While Chidobe Awuzie and Kendall Fuller found homes quickly as third-contract-seeking CBs, Jackson’s market did not take off. The Giants look close to ending his lengthy free agency stay, however, and providing Bowen some veteran stability at CB2.

Giants cornerback Adoree’ Jackson recently reiterated his desire to sign a new contract with Big Blue, but it does not sound as if the interest is mutual. Per Paul Schwartz of The New York Post, the odds are against a re-up, so Jackson will probably be seeking a new employer when free agency opens next month.

Jackson, who will turn 29 shortly after the 2024 regular season begins, just finished the three-year, $39MM deal he signed with the Giants in March 2021. At the time, the 2017 first-rounder was coming off a generally strong four-year run with the Titans, though his platform campaign in 2020 was marred by a knee injury that limited him to three games. While Tennessee cut him before the fifth-year option of his rookie deal became guaranteed — the 2018 class of first-round picks was the first whose fifth-year options became guaranteed immediately upon being exercised — he was still able to land a notable contract thanks to his previous body of work.

In his first year in New York, Jackson reestablished himself as a solid starting cornerback, earning a strong 74.9 overall grade from Pro Football Focus and limiting opposing passers to a 69.0 QB rating (the best mark of his career). He largely replicated that showing in 2022 before muddling through another difficult contract season last year.

Jackson began the 2023 season in the slot to accommodate rookie Tre Hawkins. Hawkins was later benched, allowing Jackson to return to his familiar boundary role. The USC product drew a PFF coverage grade of just 45.9 — by far the lowest of his career — and he allowed a passer rating of 95.5 and a pair of touchdowns as the nearest defender. Between that poor performance, his general lack of play-making — he has just four interceptions in 83 career games — and the fact that he missed 14 contests due to injury over his three-year run with the Giants, New York is understandably prepared to move on.

However, given that he has performed like a quality starter at a premium position for five of his seven years in the NFL, Spotrac believes Jackson could earn a four-year contract worth over $11MM per year on the open market. That still feels a bit optimistic in light of Jackson’s subpar 2023, and PFF projects a much more modest one-year pact worth $7MM (subscription required).

If Jackson is indeed forced to accept a prove-it deal, perhaps he will finally be able to turn in a healthy and productive platform season, which would allow him to hit the open market with more momentum in 2025.

The Giants have a number of key free agent decisions to make with Saquon Barkley and Xavier McKinney set to hit the open market. The same is also true of cornerback Adoree’ Jackson, who recently doubled down on his desire to remain in New York on a new deal.

“The Giants are going to look for another corner and another team is going to look for a corner, which is me,” Jackson told Ryan Dunleavy of the New York Post. “I want to be there, but this is our break period… If I come back, it’s all good. If I don’t, is it going to hurt? It will, but I know it’s a business.”

That stance mirrors what he said in December knowing he was on the verge of free agency for the second time in his career. In the first instance, Jackson landed a three-year, $39MM deal after his run with the Titans. He has served as a full-time starter during his Giants stint, racking up 23 pass deflections and a pair of interceptions along the way. Jackson earned solid PFF grades in his first two Giants campaigns, but things took a turn for the worse in 2023.

The former first-rounder began the season in the slot to accommodate rookie Tre Hawkins. The latter was later benched, though, allowing Jackson to return to his familiar perimeter duties. He drew a PFF coverage grade of just 45.9, by far the lowest of his career. Jackson allowed a passer rating of 95.5 (his second-highest mark) and a pair of touchdowns as the nearest defender in 2023.

As a result, it would come as little surprise if the Giants looked elsewhere via free agency or the draft to add at the cornerback spot. New York invested a first-round pick in last year’s draft by adding Deonte Banks, but a starting-caliber replacement will be needed if Jackson does indeed depart. The 28-year-old made it clear being a member of a contender will be a top priority while noting his confidence that the Giants could fit the bill.

“I want to win a Super Bowl, and I know the Giants are capable of winning because we saw [in 2022] that it was a possibility,” Jackson said. “It boils down to the pieces and the staff being on the same page and doing the right thing to help us get there.”

The Giants made a surprise run to the divisional round of the postseason that year, but the team took a major step back in 2023. Whether or not Jackson will be a part of New York’s efforts to rebound from a disappointing campaign will be worth watching closely in the build-up to free agency.

Adoree’ Jackson had visits lined up with the Eagles and Giants during free agency in 2021. The veteran corner elected to immediately take a deal with New York, though, and he is now on the verge of hitting the market again. He does not hope to be on the move during the spring.

Jackson inked a three-year, $39MM to join the Giants, though he has not enjoyed signficant success during that time. New York is on the verge of missing the postseason for the second time in the former first-rounder’s three years with the team, a contrast to the Eagles’ Super Bowl run last season and their chance of winning the NFC East in 2023. Still, Jackson does not regret the commitment he made to the Giants.

“I think I made the right decision,” the 28-year-old said, via Ryan Dunleavy of the New York Post. “It’s never been about the money. It’s about where you feel comfortable and where you feel at home. I didn’t go down there [to Philadelphia] so I couldn’t tell what it was like, but it just felt good here. That’s where my heart was after I prayed about it.”

Jackson has remained a full-time starter during his Giants tenure, one which could continue into 2024 and beyond. The former Titan said he wishes to stay in New York, though it will be interesting to see how willing the team is to negotiate a new contract. Talks on an extension did not produce an agreement this offseason, leaving Jackson as a potential (albeit high-priced) trade candidate. No deal emerged, but the USC product has not had a stellar 2023 campaign. Jackson has allowed a 69.6% completion percentage and a passer rating of 108.5 in coverage this year. Those figures have helped lead to a 45.3 PFF grade, by far the lowest of his career.

The Giants added a pair of corners during the 2023 draft in the form of first-rounder Deonte Banks and sixth-rounder Tre Hawkins. The former in particular figures to be a long-term fixture in the secondary, but Jackson could still provide an experienced option in a starting or rotational capacity on a new Giants pact. He is aware of the possibility he could end up departing in the near future, however.

“It’s always unfinished business when you don’t win anything,” Jackson added. “I would love to be here – keep grinding, developing and bringing a winning culture here – but if that doesn’t happen I’m not going to be mad. It might hurt… But the show goes on, life goes on… so I don’t stress too much about things like that.”