J.C. Jackson was an elite defensive back for his first stint with the New England Patriots from 2018-2021, leading the Los Angeles Chargers to sign him to a whopping five-year, $82.5 million contract. After Jackson only played a combined seven games across two seasons, it was clear the signing was a failure for the Chargers, with general manager Tom Telesco even going as far as issuing an apology to rest of the team for the signing.
The Patriots jumped on the opportunity to bring the once-successful DB back to New England, sending the Chargers a 2025 sixth-round pick in exchange for Jackson and a 2025 seventh-round pick.
Since the trade, Jackson has appeared in five games for the Patriots, logging 14 tackles and three pass deflections.
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Fans were left wondering about the lack of Jackson's reps in New England's Week 9 loss the Washington Commanders, but reports quickly came through stating that he was late for curfew at the team hotel the night prior.
According to NBC Sports' insider Albert Breer, the situation is much worse than initially reported -- Jackson wasn't just late to the team hotel, he never showed up.
"It's serious," Breer said on NBC Sports Boston's Patriots Pregame Live. "The problem with J.C. Jackson is that this falls in line with everything else. If you want to go back to his first stint in New England, part of the reason they didn't bring him back is because of these sorts of issues. Then, he gets the big contract out in LA, and has a zillion problems out there."
From injuries, to not giving any effort in team practices to a recent legal issue, Jackson's time in Los Angeles was a nightmare for the team. No matter what was attempted, the Chargers could not find a way to get through to the defensive back, and now it may be feared that his off the field issues have followed him to New England.
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"He didn't fit in with his teammates, he didn't work or compete like everybody else, he got an elective ankle surgery, and the Chargers did everything they could," Breer added. "The Chargers connected with some of his old Patriot teammates, Devin McCourty, Stephon Gilmore, Kyle Van Noy, to ask them 'What can we do to get this guy going?' None of it worked."
The Patriots elected to leave Jackson at home for the team's trip to Germany in their Week 10 matchup against the Indianapolis Colts. With an already depleted defense, Shaun Wade was announced to be taking his place. With Jackson on the field, the Patriots have a losing record of 1-4, a trend that follows him from Los Angeles.
"If you look at the Chargers' record, they were 9-5 without him and 2-4 with him during his time out there in Los Angeles, and now we are starting to see the same problems popping up," Breer added. "I'll be honest, I don't know why he's still on the team after all of this."
With this season all but over for New England, Jackson will need to continue to be monitored closely. With a rebuild eminent, you have to wonder if Jackson's history will allow him to be a good fit in the locker room moving forward.