J.C. Jackson had become persona non grata for the Los Angeles Chargers. Now he’s simply gone. The Chargers Wednesday morning got rid of a big-time free agency mistake, dealing Jackson back to the New England Patriots.
Who won? Who lost? We explore it all as we grade the Jackson trade.
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Grading the J.C. Jackson Trade
The terms of the deal, per Sports Illustrated? The Chargers are sending Jackson and a 2025 seventh-round pick to New England for a 2025 sixth.
Source: The Chargers are trading CB JC Jackson and a 2025 seventh-round pick to the Patriots for a 2025 sixth-round pick.
With Christian Gonzalez down, Jackson's going back to Foxboro.
— Albert Breer (@AlbertBreer) October 4, 2023
Per the DraftTek.com trade chart, that pick swap equates to either a low sixth- or a high seventh-round pick, depending on how these teams finish in 2023.
The Chargers (2-2) are currently the 11th seed in the AFC. The Patriots (1-3) are the 12th seed.
MORE: NFL Power Rankings Week 5 2023
The Patriots inherit the remainder of Jackson’s fully guaranteed 2023 salary (roughly $9 million) and could cut him with no cap ramifications after this season. The Chargers clear some $8 million of cap space over the next two seasons with the deal.
Patriots Get Much-Needed Help
Here’s why the Patriots made this move:
Rookie cornerback Christian Gonzalez will miss the rest of the season with a torn labrum, NFL Media reported Wednesday.
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. pic.twitter.com/97usulsG6N
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) October 4, 2023
That’s a significant blow, as Gonzalez was a key piece of the Patriots’ Top 10 pass defense. Jackson returns to the place where he spent his first four NFL seasons. Jackson was second-team All-Pro in 2021, when he led the league in passes defensed.
He might not still be the same player now that he was then, but the Patriots — who clearly only waving the white flag on the season — clearly believe they can rehab his career.
Grade: B+
Chargers Cut Their Losses
Here’s what the Chargers got for the $30.1 million they have paid Jackson since 2022’s free agency:
Seven games, one interception, three tackles, and three passes defensed.
Jackson had fallen so out of favor that he was a healthy scratch in Week 3 and didn’t play in Week 4.
The Chargers lost this trade the moment they signed him, and the draft compensation 18 months in the future is a pittance compared to the opportunity cost of signing him.
Grade: C
Jackson’s Last Chance?
By any measure, this was a win for Jackson. He’s leaving a clearly untenable situation in Los Angeles and reuniting with Bill Belichick, who knows how to unlock his best.
But is his best still within him?
Jackson gave up five touchdowns and 452 passing yards in 37 targets as a Charger. His passer rating against with the Bolts was well into the triple digits.
If he doesn’t turn it around in New England, he can forget about seeing anything close to the $40 million that will remain on his contract beyond 2023.
Grade: A-
