Why Patriots must stay away from J.C. Jackson reunion

When the Patriots traded to get Jackson from the Los Angeles Chargers last season, it was a pretty low-risk move. They needed cornerback help at the time due to multiple season-ending injuries at the position and Jackson was familiar with their system.

But Jackson’s disastrous year-plus-long stint with the Chargers carried into his time in New England. After a pair of OK-ish performances, Jackson struggled against another pair of division rivals. He allowed seven receptions on 10 targets for 61 yards and a touchdown against the Buffalo Bills in Week 7. A week later, Jackson was torched by Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle, giving up five receptions on nine targets for 94 yards and two touchdowns in a loss to the Miami Dolphins.

Things unraveled from there. Jackson was benched for the start of the Patriots’ loss to the Washington Commanders in Week 9 as he reportedly violated team curfew. The Patriots opted not to bring Jackson to their trip to Germany the following week for unknown reasons. As he returned in the following games, Jackson allowed 13 receptions on 19 targets for 205 yards and a touchdown over a three-game span.

Jackson disappeared once again following the Patriots’ Week 14 win against the Pittsburgh Steelers, with his agent saying he was dealing with mental issues at the time.

Whatever was going on in Jackson’s life at that moment, you have to hope he’s fine now. But the Patriots just can’t take another chance with him. His on-field play has taken a dramatic step back from where he was in 2021, when he had seven interceptions and was a Second-Team All-Pro.

More importantly, Jackson hasn’t really proven to be much of a professional over the last two seasons. In addition to his poor play with the Chargers, his presence in the locker room was so bad that former general manager Tom Telesco apologized to the team for signing him in the first place. The situation was so dire so soon for Jackson in Los Angeles that the Chargers even contacted some of his former teammates in New England to try and get to him, according to Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer.

Obviously, that didn’t work, which was why the Chargers were more than happy to move Jackson in a later-round pick swap trade last October.

The Patriots shouldn’t make the same mistake this time around. Instead, there are other multiple veteran corners out there that can serve as a good mentor to Christian Gonzalez and Marcus Jones. Stephon Gilmore is the name that immediately comes to mind, bringing in familiarity after playing at a higher level over the last two years than Jackson.

Heck, you don’t even need to sign Gilmore. Just do not sign Jackson under any circumstance.