Report: Patriots Intend to Pick up CB Jason McCourty's Contract Option

The New England Patriots intend to pick veteran cornerback Jason McCourty's contract option, according to NFL Media's Ian Rapoport.

The #Patriots intend to pick up the contract option for veteran CB Jason McCourty, sources say. That would put him at nearly $4M for 2020. In February, @McCourtyTwins Jason version said on RapSheet + Friends, "I definitely plan on playing next year." https://t.co/0iWxG3RATf
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) March 4, 2020

As a team that is trying to lure back safety Devin McCourty, who is set to be a free agent on March 18, locking up Jason, at age-32, is a good way to convince Devin to come back. It also shows the Patriots' intentions of wanting to keep intact a very deep, elite cornerback group they had last season, which included Stephon Gilmore, JC Jackson, McCourty, Jonathan Jones, and Joejuan Williams. All of those players will now be returning for the 2020 season.

McCourty struggled to stay on the field in the backend of the 2019 season because of a lingering groin injury, which caused him to miss four games during the second half of the regular season and the Patriots' lone playoff game. He announced in January that he underwent groin surgery and is expected to make a full recovery.