The New England Patriots released veteran cornerback J.C. Jackson on Friday in a move that created valuable salary cap space the team can use during the NFL offseason.
According to Patriots salary cap expert Miguel Benzan on X, this roster transaction increases New England's salary cap space by $13.46 million, bringing their total number of cap space to $100.33 million.
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The Patriots will not take on any dead money against the cap by releasing Jackson. They now have the most cap space of any team in the league, per OverTheCap. Free agency begins March 13.
Jackson joined the Patriots in 2018 as an undrafted free agent. He quickly became an important part of the defense and earned second-team All-Pro and Pro Bowl selections in 2021. He left New England after the 2021 campaign to join the Los Angeles Chargers in free agency. Jackson's tenure in L.A. didn't go well, and the Patriots re-acquired him via trade in October of 2023.
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Jackson played eight games for the Patriots last season and tallied 22 solo tackles with six passes defensed.
Jackson's departure leaves the Patriots with Christian Gonzalez, Jonathan Jones, Marcus Jones, Shaun Wade, Isaiah Bolden and Marco Wilson on the cornerback depth chart. Alex Austin is a restricted free agent and Myles Bryant is an unrestricted free agent.
