How the Patriots are saving the career of this once-star cornerback
After signing a massive five-year, $82.5 million deal with the Los Angeles Chargers in 2022, cornerback JC Jackson – who had previously played four years with the New England Patriots and established himself as one of the best corners in the NFL after beginning his career as an undrafted free agent – was expected to continue his dominance in the league and be the cornerstone of the Chargers secondary.
Soon, however, it became evident that he was not the right fit for the Los Angeles scheme and culture.
Jackson's time with the Chargers was plagued with injuries, poor performances and off-field issues. In his first season with the team, Jackson was abysmal to begin the year, eventually getting benched at halftime in a Week 6 game against the Denver Broncos before suffering a season-ending patellar tendon injury the next week.
When Jackson returned to the team in 2023, his production was even worse than before and he was made a healthy scratch in the third week of the season following a humiliating performance against the Miami Dolphins.
After being left "confused" by the Chargers' decision to scratch him, the next week, JC Jackson refused to enter into a game against the Las Vegas Raiders and four days later, he was traded back to the Patriots in exchange for a sixth- and seventh-round pick, marking the end of his hectic time on the West Coast.
In the three games he has played so far in his return to New England, it is evident that the Patriots coaching staff is reviving Jackson and turning him back into the player he once was.
Facing Davante Adams, Stefon Diggs, Chris Olave, Michael Thomas and others in those three games, Jackson has allowed just six catches on 18 targets, 76 yards and a touchdown.
Jackson recognizes that his play hasn't been perfect and believes that there is still room for improvement.
“I still don’t feel like I’m at my best yet, but I’m doing pretty good,” Jackson said, per masslive.com's Chris Mason. “I’m holding up. I’m moving pretty fast. But I’m still not at my best yet.”
Jackson has been a critical member of New England's declining secondary, which has recently lost crucial cornerbacks Christian Gonzalez and Marcus Jones for the season. With Jackson in the mix, he believes that New England's current group can exceed peoples expectations.
“I feel like we’ve got the potential to have one of the best secondaries in the league with this defense,” Jackson said. “We’ve just have to play up to that."
Jackson's next chance to show his improvement will be Sunday, when the Patriots play the Miami Dolphins at 1 p.m. EST.
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