jones & mego: Belichick continues to take blame in “The Dynasty”
The Patriots made what many thought was an expected move on Friday afternoon, releasing cornerback J.C. Jackson.
Jackson was signed by the Patriots as an undrafted free agent out of Maryland in 2018 and after four seasons in Foxborough where he hauled in 17 interceptions and was an All-Pro in 2021, signed a massive five-year, $82.5 million contract with the Los Angeles Chargers in 2022.
New England re-acquired him via trade last October, and the cornerback struggled both on and off the field during his reunion. Jackson did not travel with the Patriots to Germany in October due to "questions about his accountability", and was an active DNP in their December game against the Chiefs due to mental health issues. He finished the season on the non-football illness list.
"I love J.C.," Patriots head coach Jerod Mayo said of the cornerback on Wednesday. "[I] coached him, saw him develop into a man. We’ll see how that goes going forward. But look, heck of a football player. Two years removed from injury, he’s probably going to move a lot better this year."
Releasing Jackson saves the Patriots over $13 million on the salary cap for 2024 according to Miguel Benzan aka @PatsCap. New England now reportedly has over $100 million in cap space for next season.
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