Bill Belichick stood at the podium this morning looking a little worse for wear. His team suffered the most lopsided defeat of his head coaching career, falling to 1-3. With injuries to Matthew Judon and Christian Gonzalez, the apple of his eye, the defense, will be minus their best players and a potential star in the making.
So, he was asked if this increased the likelihood of a trade. In proper Belichick form, he responded, “To trade at this point, somebody has to be available. Let’s start with that.”
Moments after he walked away from the podium, news broke of the Pats acquiring J.C. Jackson from the Chargers in a swap for late-round picks. On top of that, Los Angeles agreed to pick up a majority of Jackson’s remaining $9.33 million salary for this season, with the Pats on the hook for around $1.5 million, per source.
LA converted the base salary into a signing bonus, while the Pats assume the remaining three years of the deal. However, per Over the Cap, no guaranteed money is left after this season, meaning this could easily be a one-and-done, depending on how Jackson plays.
"That year he made a lot of plays, that’s for sure," said Hunter Henry, recalling his one season with Jackson. "He’s a ball hawk, was around the ball it seemed like all the time. So excited to have a guy like that back in this scheme…”
"J.C. is a great player," added Mac Jones. "Obviously, he taught me a lot my rookie year. Just aggressive, there’s a lot of corners that play like him, but he’s very unique. He’s fast, aggressive, he has a very good knack for the ball.
The veteran cornerback was inactive in week three against Justin Jefferson and the Vikings, and expressed surprise over the move, unsure of the reason or reasons behind it. Later, Jackson claimed he did have an idea it was coming but wouldn’t explain further. He was active this week versus the Raiders but didn’t play a single snap. Jackson told the media he’s not 100%, but “I’m doing what you can.”
He ruptured his patellar tendon in week 7 of last season and missed the remainder of the season. Head coach Brandon Staley did not refer to Jackson’s health as a reason for his benching, only citing the “overall product, from the beginning of the week to the end of the week.”
Jackson was cleared to return for the start of training camp, an impressive return from that injury, but his performance in the first two weeks of the season was not representative of number-one cornerback play. He found himself in a trail position versus Tyreek Hill many times in the season-opening loss to the Dolphins, where the Chargers surrendered nearly 500 yards passing. Jackson had an interception in that game but unwisely tried to run it out of the end zone, trapping his offense deep in their own territory. His outing was rather nondescript against the Titans in week two, and it appears clear that his lack of usage goes beyond his play, as Staley hinted.
Jackson earned his $82.5 million deal via free agency after recording 25 interceptions over the first four years of his career in New England. He earned All-Pro honors in his final season with the team and had eight INTs, second-best in the league. His passer rating against was a paltry 46.8. This year, in a brief sample size, it’s 72.
Jackson will return to Foxborough with more than just football on his mind. He had a warrant issued for his arrest two Mondays ago for failing to appear in court. The matter was tied to a probation violation after Jackson had been charged with speeding and negligent operation of a motor vehicle back in 2021.
As for Gonzalez, the Patriots feared the worst after their first-round pick went down in the opening quarter of Sunday's loss in Dallas. He immediately clutched his right arm and, after trying to walk it off, took a knee before being attended to by the team's training staff. Gonzalez was ruled out at the start of the third quarter, and, in talking to team sources postgame, their fear was this injury would, at the very least, cost the rookie significant time. Upon seeking a second opinion upon returning to Foxborough, the player and Pats had their worst fears confirmed: a torn labrum that would require surgery and likely would cost Gonzalez the rest of his first year.
What a start he was off to. Gonzalez was named the NFL's Defensive Rookie of the Month for September, recording 16 tackles, a sack, an interception, and three PBUs. He accomplished this while seeing a steady diet of some of the game's best receivers - AJ Brown, Devonta Smith, Tyreek Hill, Jaylen Waddle, Garrett Wilson, and, briefly, CeeDee Lamb. In his absence Sunday, the Pats' top three cornerbacks were Myles Bryant, Shaun Wade, and Jalen Mills.