William Jackson is primed for a big-time payday

NFL free agency begins this coming week, starting with three days of legal tampering that will see many top free agents agreeing to new contracts before the new league year officially begins Wednesday.

As expected, Cincinnati Bengals defender William Jackson will be one of the top cornerbacks to hit free agency after the Bengals passed on franchise tagging the rising star. The 28-year-old is easily one of the top defensive backs to hit the open market, and it sounds like he’ll be paid as such.

NFL Network analyst Tom Pelissero is reporting that Jackson, along with Shaquil Griffin of the Seattle Seahawks, is expected to land a big-time payday when free agency begins.

For what it’s worth, Spotrac projects Jackson’s market value as a three-year, $18.9 million deal. I think it’s safe to say the contract he ends up signing will greatly exceed that projection.

The question is will the Bengals be the ones to give Jackson the deal he’s seeking, or will one of the team’s best players walk away for nothing?

It sounds like we won’t be waiting long to get an answer.