Will Adoree' Jackson Convince Giants to Extend His Deal?

Adoree' Jackson is entering a contract year. Can he rise to the challenge of showing he's worthy of another deal?

Author:
Hunter De Siver
Publish date:
Jun 7, 2023 2:36 PM EDT

In this story:

Adoree' Jackson, Cornerback

Height: 5-foot-11 | Weight: 185 pounds
2022 Stats: GP 10 / GS 10. 31 completions allowed (60 targets) for 398 receiving yards and two touchdowns, 51 tackles (two for loss), seven PD, two FR, one FF, zero INT

New York Giants cornerback Adoree Jackson, drafted 18th overall by the Tennessee Titans in 2017, will enter his second season as the team’s CB1, a role he rarely had his first five years in the league.

The USC product was considered a jack-of-all-trades at school, playing mostly cornerback but occasionally seeing snaps at wide receiver and running back and serving as the main returner.

He stuck to just playing defense and returning during his first two years with the Titans, recording 143 tackles, 27 pass breakups, three forced fumbles (two recovered), and two interceptions. Jackson had 25 kick returns for 578 yards (he only did kick returns his rookie season) and 50 punt returns for 438 yards.

However, Jackson struggled to remain on the field for the next couple of years due to injuries and was released on March 16, 2021. Less than a week later, the Giants signed him to a 3-year, $39 million deal to play opposite cornerback James Bradberry, who would head to Philadelphia one year later.

In his two years with the Giants, Jackson’s numbers have gone down from his excellent rookie and sophomore campaigns, but he still shows a ton of promise through his ability to keep his assignment in check.

Best Case Scenario

Despite suffering many injuries throughout his six-year career, Giants cornerback Adoree’ Jackson has only allowed a reception just a little over 50 percent of times targeted (not including 2020, when he only played three games). That shadowing percentage as the Giants CB1 is better than some of the NFL’s best, including Jalen Ramsey, Pat Surtain II, Tariq Woolen, and more.

One flaw about Jackson is that he only has three interceptions in his entire career. If he can continue to have a solid shadow rate and find a way to jump some routes, Jackson could have a Pro Bowl-caliber season.

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Worst Case Scenario

At 28 years old (he’ll be that age by Week 2), Jackson is starting to run out of years to be great. Like Deonte Banks, who is also capable of finishing the season as the Giants' CB1, Jackson will also shadow the opposing team’s best receiver for a decent portion of games.

Regarding opposing wide receivers, the Giants have one of the toughest schedules this year as Jackson and Banks will have to go head-to-head with several Pro Bowlers like Tyreek Hill, Stefon Diggs, Davante Adams, and more. They’ll also face A.J. Brown, CeeDee Lamb, and Terry McLaurin twice since they are division foes.

Jackson has struggled to remain healthy the last four years and has only played in 37-of-66 possible games, and hasn’t played a full season since 2018. If he can’t stay on the field for most of this season, he may need to look elsewhere because the Giants have a void year on his contract in 2024.

What to Expect in 2023

Jackson has proven that he can stay with some of the best receivers in the league based on his solid target-catch percentages. He’ll be presented with that challenge again this year, but if his injury plague continues, he may have to move on from New York. However, he may enter the Pro Bowl conversation if he stays healthy and gets a few interceptions.