The Tennessee Titans released CB Jason McCourty, so it’s natural for fans of the New England Patriots to wonder if he would ever team up with his identical twin brother and Patriots FS Devin McCourty.
Devin spoke at Boston University’s Play it Forward summit and the Boston Herald has his thoughts on Jason’s free agency.
“I’m excited for him,” Devin said via the Herald’s Karen Guregian. “I was hoping he would be out of Tennessee a couple years ago just to experience something different. I think obviously now everyone is saying ‘he’s going to come here, he should come here.’ But you never know. I hope we’re interested in him.”
Jason has talked about wanting to reach the playoffs and there’s no team more consistent at reaching the postseason than the Patriots.
However, despite the Patriots clear path to Super Bowl, Devin believes that Jason would rather play for a team where he could start.
“Like I’ve said before, we’ve loved to play together, but I think first and foremost, he has to do what’s kind of right for his family and where he could actually play and be out there playing,” Devin continued. “He’s not at the point in his career where he just wants to sit on the bench. He wants to get a chance to get out there and compete.”
The Patriots have Stephon Gilmore, Malcolm Butler, Eric Rowe, and 2016 second round pick Cyrus Jones on the current depth chart, which would make it difficult for Jason to see the field. Things could change if Butler is traded, but there are other cornerback hungry teams that could use Jason in their secondary.
Teams like the Green Bay Packers, Dallas Cowboys, Pittsburgh Steelers, and Kansas City Chiefs are expected to make the playoffs and have needs in their secondary and would present a better chance of playing time and money for Jason.
A source told ESPN’s Mike Reiss that Jason could be looking at a 1-year, $2 million contract this upcoming season, but that seems pretty low for a 29-year-old cornerback.
With the draft drawing close, there’s a chance that Jason remains unsigned as teams want to play the draft with younger talent. This boosts the chances of the Patriots trading Butler and opening a door for Jason- but until the Patriots move one of their cornerbacks, a McCourty-duo in the secondary remains a long shot.