The New England Patriots traded away their No. 1 cornerback, Stephon Gilmore, in 2021 because they impossibly had a replacement lined up: J.C. Jackson. New England, however, does not have another elite corner in the pipeline, which makes for a big decision about Jackson’s pending free agency in 2022.

Jackson was a restricted free agent in 2021 when the team placed a second-round tender on him. They seemed to be almost tempting teams to sign him away — and give back a second-round pick in return. No one bit. New England then traded Gilmore away for a sixth-round pick during the 2021 season and thrust Jackson into the No. 1 role that he’d already held with Gilmore out due to injury.

So will the Patriots keep Jackson around through 2022? Or are they devising a plan on how to replace him? Here are four options New England has with its star cornerback.

1 The Patriots can let him walk in free agency

New England has a number of ways to keep Jackson around. But, of course, that costs money — and the Patriots don’t have much salary cap space. If the Patriots don’t think they can agree to a long-term deal and don’t want to place him on the franchise tag — options we’ll get to — then the team can let him go. They’ll surely end up with a third-round compensatory pick in exchange for him if he signs for top dollar elsewhere.

New England, however, would have work to do to fill out its secondary. Cornerback Jalen Mills was a solid — though not particularly impressive — No. 2 option for New England. Jon Jones always thrives in the slot. So the Patriots would need to find at least one starting-worthy cornerback, if they don’t want to spend the season regretting Jackson’s (and Stephon Gilmore’s) departure.

Some free agency options the Patriots could pursue at cornerback include Gilmore (Panthers), Carlton Davis (Bucs), Darious Williams (Rams), Casey Heyward Jr. (Raiders), Steven Nelson (Eagles), Bryce Callahan (Broncos) and Donte Jackson (Panthers), among others.

2 The Patriots can place the franchise tag on him

This is the simplest solution from a personnel standpoint — but the most complicated from a salary cap standpoint. New England would need to spend between $17 million and $18 million to keep Jackson around in 2022 on the franchise tag. The Patriots don’t even currently have that much space. They could easily create it — but then they’d need to sign their rookie class and retain veterans like Devin McCourty, Matthew Slater, Trent Brown and Ja’Whaun Bentley, among others

Once they adjust the contracts of their best players — which can be a risky move — the Patriots can secure Jackson and a few of their other pending free agents. And while they’re unlikely to add many other players for big money, they will have a cornerback that they know excels in their system.

3 The Patriots can tag and trade Jackson

New England’s salary cap situation could make this complicated. Once the Patriots tag Jackson, they can trade him. But his hit to the salary cap could make it hard for them to sign surrounding talent. So if the Patriots tag Jackson for the purpose of trading him, they’d need to offload him sometime between March 9, the deadline for tagging, and March 16, the open of free agency.

That sounds doable, right?

Then they’ve hopefully got an asset that’s likely better than the third-round compensatory pick they’d get in 2023, if they let Jackson walk. And they’ve got the cap space to sign talent. What they won’t have? A sure-fire CB1.

4 The Patriots can sign Jackson to a long-term deal

Are the Patriots committed to helping Jackson remain one of the best cornerbacks in the NFL? Can New England see Jackson building upon these huge seasons, even after he gets an enormous payday?

It’s tough to know. So Bill Belichick will have to decide whether to pay Jackson with a long-term deal, or decide if he’d rather let someone else take the risk, as Belichick did with Chandler Jones, Joe Thuney, Trey Flowers and Malcolm Butler. It’s extremely atypical for Belichick to give players a second contract. Would he do it with Jackson because he knows they don’t have anyone to replace him? Or will Bleichick rust himself to insert someone new on the cheap? I’d guess it’s the latter.