The Los Angeles Chargers made headlines earlier this week when they traded former All-Pro cornerback J.C. Jackson to the New England Patriots.
It may have come as a surprise to many outsiders looking in, but this relationship was due, and if they didn't know before their Sunday matchup against the Raiders, they definitely knew after.
According to multiple reports and NFL insider Tom Pelissero, Jackson refused to enter the game against the Raiders in their Week 4 win.
Jackson was standing on the sideline with his shoes untied, showing no signs of interest in his team or the game.
On top of all that, he even refused to enter the game even after cornerback Michael Davis injured his ankle in the third quarter. Multiple coaches persuaded the 27-year-old to enter for Davis, but Jackson refused, saying other things and that he wasn't warm enough to play, per sources.
Sources say issues arose between Jackson and sports performance staff to the coaches, and to the support staff. It was a struggle, sources say, and no one could seem to get through to him.
For the most part, the fit between Jackson and the Chargers was never meant to be. Outside of his excellent start to training camp in 2022, that was as good as it got for the two. After that, he looked like a shell of himself and did virtually nothing to help his team.
Now, he finds himself back to where he made a name for himself, and we'll see if he can find that spark again. Signing him to that big contract before the 2022 season was clearly a big mistake and will be viewed as one of the worst contracts in the NFL.
Hey, it is what it is; at least they got away from Jackson and will do their best to ride with the guys they have.
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