New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick benched starting cornerback J.C. Jackson for Sunday’s game against the Indianapolis Colts, and we now have a better idea of why.
Jackson was not on the field for several defensive series at the start of last week’s 23-20 loss to the Washington Commanders. Then on Wednesday, Ian Rapoport and Mike Garafolo of NFL Network reported that Jackson will not make the trip with the Patriots to Germany for their matchup with the Colts amid “questions about his reliability.”
SI’s Albert Breer provided some more context.
It is unclear if Jackson had additional issues during or after last Sunday’s game, but he refused to speak with the media after the loss. Belichick avoided questions about why Jackson was on the bench to start the game.
Jackson’s NFL career began when he signed with the Patriots as an undrafted free agent in 2018. He improved each season and eventually became the team’s top cornerback, making the Pro Bowl in 2021. Jackson parlayed that success into a massive five-year, $82.5 million free-agent contract with the Los Angeles Chargers prior to the 2022 season.
Jackson was benched for poor play in Week 6 last year. He then suffered a ruptured patellar tendon in Week 7 and missed the remainder of the season. He reportedly had issues with Chargers coaches this season and was benched for poor play again, which led to him calling the team out. L.A. then decided to cut ties with Jackson by trading him to New England for a swap of late-round draft picks.
The Patriots were likely hopeful that a return to New England would inspire Jackson to straighten out his act. Thus far, it does not appear that has happened.
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