J.C. Jackson, Trent Brown, Patriots' Free Agents' Projected Contracts

The New England Patriots face one of the toughest decisions of the early NFL free-agency period.

Some experts consider cornerback J.C. Jackson to be the top free agent on the market. And if he does not come to an agreement with New England, he will have countless suitors elsewhere.

According to NFL Network's Mike Giardi, Jackson's camp is looking for Jalen Ramsey-type numbers in contract negotiations. Jackson was not hit with the franchise tag before Tuesday's deadline, so he is free to negotiate with whichever team he wants to, including the Patriots.

The Patriots need to commit a good amount to retain Jackson, but he is not the only free agent they must focus on.

Trent Brown could be one of the most coveted offensive linemen available, and Jakobi Meyers may be targeted by other franchises.

Meyers is a restricted free agent, so the Patriots are free to match any offer made to the wide receiver, but it would be wise to bring him back in order to surround quarterback Mac Jones with as many offensive weapons as possible.

New England should take a full swing at re-signing J.C. Jackson.

The cornerback is considered the top free agent at his position, and The Athletic's Sheil Kapadia ranked him as the No. 1 available free agent.

Jackson's reported demands to make a similar amount of money as Ramsey could price out a handful of suitors.

Ramsey has the top contract value of any cornerback at five years and $100 million. The top four cornerback deals in the NFL are each worth more than $82 million.

New England might balk at paying Jackson that much money. The Patriots were unable to come to an agreement with Stephon Gilmore last season, and they might face a difficult time in negotiations with Jackson.

The Patriots showed with the release of Kyle Van Noy that they are willing to free up cap space to utilize in the impending free-agent market. They have around $11.5 million in salary-cap space as of Wednesday morning, per Spotrac. More cuts could be made to open up more room.

New England should make re-signing Jackson its priority and then adjust its free-agent expectations off a potential deal.

The Patriots could always attack linebacker and wide receiver, two other positions of need, in the 2022 draft.

Projected Contract: Five years, $95 million

Trent Brown is New England's other high-profile free agent set to hit the open market.

Brown could demand more attention on the market than center Ted Karras, which may lead to the Patriots putting more focus on him.

The offensive lineman made $6.5 million last season, but he earned as much as $21 million per season with the Las Vegas Raiders.

Unlike Jackson, Brown is not the No. 1 free agent at his position this offseason. Terron Armstead holds that honor.

The Patriots may be able to bide their time in negotiations with Brown while teams with offensive needs go after Armstead when the legal tampering window opens Monday.

New England could still use Brown on the offensive line to help protect Jones as the Patriots look to close the gap between themselves and the Buffalo Bills in the AFC East.

Re-signing Brown is possible, and that outcome could be more likely if New England does not commit a ton of money to Jackson.

Projected Contract: Three years, $20 million

Jakobi Meyers will get a pay raise from the three-year, $1.7 million deal he signed as an undrafted free agent out of NC State.

Meyers led the Patriots in receptions and receiving yards last season despite additions at wide receiver and tight end last offseason.

The receiver earned a salary increase, and the Patriots would be smart to match whichever offer sheets come in for the fourth-year player.

New England needs to add more weapons for Jones to work with in 2022, but it would be wise to keep Meyers as a secondary option.

The Patriots could bring back Meyers on a reasonable deal and also add a top-tier receiver to partner with him, Nelson Agholor and Kendrick Bourne.

Projected Contract: Two years, $10 million