The Chargers give up JC Jackson Experiment. A year after signing the former Patriots star to a big deal, the Bolts will cut bait and send the veteran defenseman back East. The Patriots take back Jackson, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com reports.
New England and Los Angeles will trade their late-round picks in 2025, Rapoport adds. The Patriots and Chargers will swap sixth- and seventh-rounders in the ’25 draft. This surprising move will help a Pats team decimated at cornerback and leave the AFC East squad responsible for part of a contract it refused to pay in 2022.
Jackson was a franchise candidate last year and instead hit the open market after failing to enter into serious negotiations with the Pats. He followed people like Logan Ryan, Malcolm Butler And Stephon Gilmore out the door. The Patriots repeatedly declined to pay cornerbacks, allowing the Bolts to give the ballhawk a five-year, $82.5 million contract that came with $40 million guaranteed at signing. That deal ultimately didn’t work out for the AFC West club, and now Jackson will follow the likes of him Kyle Van Noy And Jamie Collins as a defenseman to reunite with the Patriots in recent years.
This trade will come afterwards Christian González suffered an injury against the Cowboys. The Patriots, who already played their Week 4 game without Jack Jones And Marcus JonesIt’s unlikely they’ll have their first-round pick back until next season. Gonzalez suffered a torn shoulder labrum that will likely sideline him for the remainder of the season. Rapoport reports. The promising cover man is facing surgery. WEEI’s Mike Kadlick initially reported that Gonzalez suffered a torn labrum. The Oregon product had sought a second opinion, but with surgery looming, the Jackson transfer will bring back a player he is quite familiar with Bill Belichick‘s system. Gonzalez will go to IR this week, SI.com’s Albert Breer Tweets.
Jackson’s fitness in LA rapidly deteriorated. The Chargers made their highest-paid cornerback a healthy scratch in Week 3, a decision that puzzled Jackson, who recovered from a torn patellar tendon in time for Week 1. Jackson didn’t play in the Bolts’ Week 4 win over the Raiders, either, and said last week he wasn’t 100% yet. With his career stalled in California, one of the NFL’s premier revenue engines will be asked to operate in the system that has made him a high-end free agent target.
Despite missing the second half of last season with a knee injury, Jackson has thrown 26 interceptions since entering the league in 2018. No player has intercepted as many passes during this period. Jackson developed into a starter as a rookie in 2018 and helped a Gilmore and Devin McCourty-led secondary keeps the Rams out of the end zone in Super Bowl LIII. As Jackson took on more responsibility in the three following seasons, he intercepted 21 passes from 2019-21. The Patriots fielded the top seven defensive players every year.
To illustrate Jackson’s limited trade value on this top-10 CB contract, the Chargers will take on a majority of his salary in 2023 to make the move easier. New England only has to pay $1.5 million of the remaining $9.33 million of Jackson’s base salary. ESPN.com’s Jeremy Fowler adds. The Bolts will receive the rest as a signing bonus. Given the Pats’ hesitancy to meet Jackson’s high price tag in 2022, this part of the transaction isn’t surprising.
Collins and Van Noy also returned at reduced prices; The Pats ultimately parted ways with Collins twice — while letting the Browns and Lions pay him — but coaxed quality performance from their occasional linebacker while he was tied to low-end money. Jackson is under contract through 2026 and will receive base salaries of $12.4 million, $12 million and $12.1 million from 2024 to 2026, respectively. However, there are no other guarantees on the deal, giving the Patriots flexibility with a player they know well. Still, Jackson is coming off a poor 2022 season Brandon Staleys system – one that ended in a serious injury last October. Jackson was also issued an arrest warrant in connection with a speeding incident in 2021.
Jackson, 27, will return to the slot bastion Jonathan Jones in the Pats secondary school. Jack Jones is also eligible to come off IR in Week 5, although it’s unclear whether the second-year defenseman will be willing to do so. Marcus Jones is not eligible to play until Week 7. However, the Gonzalez component represents the biggest wound among New England’s secondary injuries. This news hits harder even after Matt JudonBiceps injury. Judon will be out for a long time and will need an operation. While a late-season return isn’t out of the question, the Pats’ secondary will face tougher tasks without the red-sleeved pass rusher to provide consistent pressure.
After a drop in Round 1, the Patriots selected Gonzalez at No. 17 overall. Washington had considered the Pac-12 prospect but selected Emmanuel Forbes at No. 16. ESPN’s Scouts Inc. gave Gonzalez a top-10 rating as a prospect, and the 6-foot-2 rookie made an immediate impact. Pro Football Focus ranked Gonzalez as the seventh-best cornerback in the league entering the season. His rookie contract runs through 2026, with the Patriots having a fifth-year option for 2027. But this is obviously painful for a Pats team that had never selected a pure cornerback in the first round under Belichick.
The Chargers had a slot competition between them Asante Samuel Jr. And Yes, Sir Taylor this summer. While Samuel ended up winning, he was replaced by Taylor at the start of the season. The second-generation NFL player returned to a full-time role on the outside, and although Staley had hinted at a Jackson-Samuel,Michael Davis The battle for border reps was imminent, the Bolts will rely on their younger corners in the future.