Bill Belichick Mum, Agent Reveals Reason For J.C. Jackson Absence During New England Patriots Loss to Kansas City Chiefs
FOXBORO — Even at 3-11, there is still never a dull moment when it comes to the New England Patriots.
In addition to the angst undoubtedly being felt by the Pats after their 27-17 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday at Gillette Stadium, a cloud of uncertainty may once again be forming in their defensive backfield.
Despite being active for the game, cornerback J.C. Jackson did not play a single snap. In fact, Jackson was not even spotted on the sideline.
When the final seconds had drained from the game clock, neither Jackson’s Patriots teammates, nor head coach Bill Belichick were in a divulgatory mood to explain his absence.
“He wasn’t available,” Belichick said during his postgame news conference. “We’ll leave it at that.”
Shortly after New England’s postgame media availability had concluded, ESPN reported that Jackson had been “dealing with mental health issues,” per his agent Neil Schwartz. Further information on the matter has yet to be revealed.
Jackson re-joined the Patriots via trade from the Los Angeles Chargers in early October. The 28-year-old spent from 2018-21 with the Pats — a four-year stint which included a Super Bowl championship (LIII) and earning nods as a both Pro Bowler and an All-Pro. Since his return, he has logged 25 tackles and six passes-defensed.
However, his second tour of duty in New England has been cloaked in subpar play, along with questions surrounding his engagement. After failing to report to the team hotel on the eve of their Week 9 matchup against the Washington Commanders, Jackson was benched for the game’s first two series. He was also ruled out for the Pats Week 10 matchup with the Indianapolis Colts due to personal reasons, and thus did not travel with the team to Germany.
Perhaps the most surprising aspect of Jackson’s status was the Patriots failure to declare him among their Week 15 inactives — which are mandated to be disclosed approximately 90 minutes before kickoff. Had New England intended to hold him out of action, it may be assumed that Jackson would have been on the list. Instead, the Pats designated reserve cornerback Shaun Wade as a healthy scratch.
New England Patriots CB J.C. Jackson
Winslow Townson/AP Images
In his stead, rookie Alex Austin played nearly every snap against Kansas City, logging three tackles, while being charged with two penalties. For a brief time, Austin was one of only two corners available for the Pats — the other being Myles Bryant. Veteran defensive back Jonathan Jones battled through a knee injury for much of the day, seeing only limited action.
While Belichick did not offer any insight on the reason for Jackson’s exit, he did passively acknowledge that the choice to start Austin was made just prior to the Pats taking the field.
“We all know that when a game starts, anything can happen,” Belichick said. “It happened a little bit before that, but Alex was ready to play, expected to play, and he played a lot. We’ve talked about that before: It’s everybody’s job to be ready to go, and that’s what we do.”
The impact of Sunday’s game on Jackson’s future with the Patriots remains unclear at this time. He still has three years remaining on his five-year, $82 million contract he signed with the Chargers in 2022. It should be noted that he can be cut this offseason without finaicial implication to New England.
Still, the Patriots may be forced to think twice before simply parting ways with the talented, yet troubled defensive back. When playing at his best, Jackson is still one of the NFL's most talented ball-hawking perimeter cornerbacks. His size (6-1, 198 pounds) provides him the ability to attack the ball at its highest point and fight through contact. Still, occasionally struggles to limit contact with his targets down the field, thus running the risk of being flagged for penalties — an issue with which he has struggled throughout his career. Nevertheless, Jackson's presence on the field should typically provide a lockdown presence on at least one of their opponent’s top pass-catching options.
Whether his days of being such an option in a Patriots uniform are behind him is a question likely to be answered within the coming days.
