Cornerback JC Jackson is on his way back to the New England Patriots via a trade move as per the latest reports. Jackson will be heading back to his roots as reported by NFL pundit and analyst Ian Rapoport. The Los Angeles Chargers came to an agreement with the New England Patriots on Wednesday. In exchange for JC Jackson, the Chargers will be receiving sixth- and seventh-round in 2025.
JC Jackson had spent four seasons with the New England Patriots before making the switch to the Chargers. He was signed as an undrafted free agent back in 2018. Moreover, he won the Super Bowl LIII as well as the Patriots. He recently inked a five-year deal with the Los Angeles Chargers in March 2022 worth $82.5 million.
Pregame at the #ProBowl. pic.twitter.com/554smIzyml
— New England Patriots (@Patriots) February 6, 2022
If we talk numbers, the contract is split up into an annual salary of $16.5 million with $40 million guaranteed, and a $25 million signing bonus. Jackson has a guaranteed $12 million salary for the 2023 season and reporter Tom Pelissero has the Chargers will be paying the majority of it.
Pelissero posted on X, “The #Chargers are paying the majority of J.C. Jackson’s $12 million guaranteed salary to facilitate the deal, I’m told. They move on from a player who didn’t fit and the #Patriots get immediate help with rookie Christian Gonzalez likely out for the season per @RapSheet.”
Christian Gonzalez’s injury causes Patriots to look towards JC Jackson
Much of the driving force behind this trade move of JC Jackson is due to the injury of rookie star Christian Gonzalez. The youngster who was expected to be one of the rising sensations of the season is out with injury for the rest of the season. Gonzalez got a torn labrum after dislocating his shoulder in Week 4. As a replacement, JC Jackson has been called in.
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Sources: The #Patriots are trading for #Chargers CB JC Jackson. A reunion! The compensation is a swap of late-round picks. Back where he started. pic.twitter.com/7h0A7iJcJS
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) October 4, 2023
Ian Rapoport reported the same and said that the trade was necessary only due to Gonzalez’s unexpected dismissal. “The trade for JC Jackson was necessary because… #Patriots CB Christian Gonzalez, who would have been a candidate for defensive rookie of the year, is likely to miss the rest of the 2023 season with a torn labrum from a dislocated shoulder on Sunday, sources say. Surgery soon,” he tweeted.
It makes more sense to trade JC Jackson away for the Los Angeles Chargers as he was not in the best touch for them. Paying a heavy fees for an average performer was not that advantageous for them and hence they will be pretty happy with this trade. On the other hand , this could well turn to be a good move for Jackson who is known to play well under Bill Belichick.
