Jason McCourty reportedly will return to the Patriots

Free agent cornerback Jason McCourty has reportedly agreed to a new deal that will keep him with the New England Patriots and his twin brother Devin.

The New England Patriots spent most of the legal tampering period losing their own free agents – including star defensive end Trey Flowers to the Detroit Lions, left tackle Trent Brown to the Oakland Raiders, and gadget receiver Cordarrelle Patterson to the Chicago Bears.

Now that it’s Wednesday and free agency has officially begun, the Pats are starting to get back in the win column a bit.

The team re-signed linebacker hybrid John Simon and brought back special teams pro and reserve running back Brandon Bolden from Miami. An hour or so later, they reportedly agreed to terms on a new two-year deal with incumbent cornerback Jason McCourty.

The contract will ensure twin brothers Jason and Devin McCourty spend at least one more season playing together on the same squad. Devin McCourty, the Patriots’ starting safety (and onetime cornerback) since 2010, had flirted with retirement publicly on Super Bowl Opening Night, but ultimately decided to come back for another season.

Jason McCourty came into the NFL a year earlier than his brother and under a very different set of circumstances. While Devin was fortunate enough to find himself drafted by Bill Belichick in New England and immediately joined a perennial championship contender, Jason toiled for eight seasons in Tennessee with the lackluster Titans before finding himself with the winless Cleveland Browns in 2017.

Last March, the Patriots traded a sixth-round draft pick to the Browns for McCourty and a seventh-round pick, and the change of scenery ended up paying massive dividends for the veteran defensive back. Just one season after finishing the year on an 0-16 squad, he spent this past February celebrating a Super Bowl championship alongside his brother.

McCourty’s most impressive play of the season came when his team needed him most. With the Los Angeles Rams driving late in Super Bowl 53, McCourty broke up an end zone pass intended for talented Rams receiver Brandin Cooks. The would-be touchdown could have potentially changed the entire complexion of what ended up being the lowest-scoring Super Bowl in NFL history; meaning the significance of McCourty’s defense on the play cannot be overstated.

As of this writing, the exact terms of the deal are currently unknown.