Business decisions coming for the Patriots and their secondary

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INDIANAPOLIS -- The Patriots put up a record-setting defensive performance in Super Bowl LIII, capping what was largely a lock-down postseason against some of the league's best offenses. They allowed seven total first-half points in three games against the No. 1, No. 2 and No. 6 scoring offenses in football in 2018. 

What the Patriots were able to do on that side of the ball was due in large part to the play of their secondary, where they had contributions from just about everyone -- one of their highest-paid players (Stephon Gilmore), two undrafted players (Jonathan Jones and J.C. Jackson), an offseason acquisition (Jason McCourty) and longtime New England staples (Devin McCourty, Patrick Chung and Duron Harmon) -- to bring it all together.

How the Patriots plan on retaining that secondary will be one of the more fascinating -- though at times underplayed -- storylines of their offseason. There are business decisions to be made.

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The team's top two corners at the end of the 2018 season -- Gilmore and Jackson -- are under contract. But the corner who saw the second-most snaps behind Gilmore last season is not. We know Jason McCourty plans to play in his 11th NFL season in 2019, but we don't know where exactly he'll play.

He told our Tom E. Curran that being back in New England would be "awesome," which comes as no surprise given the success he had in 2018, the fact that his brother remains on the roster, and the fact that a new team would mean another move -- he's gone from Tennessee to Cleveland to Foxboro in recent years -- for him and his young family. But I've been told this week that there is interest in McCourty's services for corner-needy teams across the league . . . so how badly does he want to remain, and how far will the Patriots go to retain him? 

Then there's Devin McCourty and his contract. After flirting with retirement before the Super Bowl, he's committed to a return. He has a year remaining on his deal with a base salary of $9 million and a cap hit of $13.4 million. Would the Patriots like that cap number closer to $12 million? Probably. And it would come as little surprise if the Patriots approached McCourty to try to work that number down. Perhaps an extension of a year or two would satisfy both parties, creating some cap space and giving McCourty -- who proved in 2018 he's still playing at a high level and can handle multiple roles -- a little more security as he approaches the end of his career.

There has been no movement as far as any alterations to McCourty's contract just yet, I've been told, and it's not inconceivable that the Patriots could keep him at his current number. The increase from $13.4 million in cap commitments for McCourty in 2019 isn't an astronomical bump from his cap hit of $11.9 million last year.

There's also a call to make on Jones, who played a key role in the postseason, playing in the slot and checking Chiefs burner Tyreek Hill (with Devin McCourty typically helping over the top) in the AFC Championship Game. In Super Bowl LIII, he shifted to more of a safety role to help confuse Sean McVay and Jared Goff. Jones, who's also a special teams stalwart, is a restricted free agent, having completed three years with the team since he was signed as an undrafted rookie out of Auburn. The Patriots could give him a second-round tender (about $3.1 million) for 2019 to ensure he'll likely remain with the club, but there has been no movement in that regard to this point. Jones recently hired Young Money APAA Sports, the agency that represents the McCourtys and Harmon. 

The key pieces are in place for the Patriots to return a secondary made up of talented and versatile pieces, but there are some business decisions to be made to have the entirety of the group back -- and back on deals that make sense for all parties involved.

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