Action Jackson: Patriots, J.C. Reunion?
FOXBORO — Might a third tour of duty with the New England Patriots be in store for veteran cornerback J.C. Jackson?
Amid the flurry of Patriots roster moves aimed at retaining their internal free agents, the Pats might also consider a reunion with the former All Pro defensive back after releasing him earlier this month.
Jackson and the Patriots, according to ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler have “mutual interest in a return” despite his recent release — which provided the team with an additional $13.5 million in salary cap space. While New England plans to explore all options at the position for the upcoming season “could be a down-the-line development,” Fowler reported.
Winslow Townson/AP Images
Though he may have seemingly passed his prime, Jackson is still capable of drawing a bead on the football, and could provide a veteran ball-hawking presence in what promises to be a young, yet talented cornerback room this season.
Jackson re-joined the Patriots via trade from the Los Angeles Chargers last 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. To this day, he is heralded as one of the most-successful undrafted free agents signed by the club during the Bill Belichick era.
Jackson’s short second tour-of-duty in New England appeared to be cloaked in struggle from the start. He had been placed on the non-football illness (NFI) in December, effectively ending his season. He had been dealing with a personal illness, which ultimately caused him to miss the Patriots’ Week 15 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs. While the nature of his indisposition has yet to be confirmed, his agent Neil Schwartz’s confirmed that his client had been dealing with “mental health issues.” Since that time, several of Jackson’s teammates, including the recently-retired Matthew Slater, expressed their concern for Jackson and wished him well in his recovery.
In addition to Week 15, Jackson also missed the Patriots Week 10 matchup with the Indianapolis Colts due to personal reasons, and thus did not travel with the team to Frankfurt, Germany.
The Pats currently have Christian Gonzalez, Alex Austin, Shaun Wade, Jonathan Jones, Marcus Jones, Marco Wilson, and Isaiah Bolden under contract at the position heading into 2024.
