When the New England Patriots host the Los Angeles Chargers in Week 13, someone on the other side will be playing with a bit of vengeance. Former New England cornerback JC Jackson shared why he's looking forward to the December 3 matchup after the schedule was unveiled.
“It's a revenge game for me, man,” Jackson said during an appearance on the NFL Network. “I'm excited to go back and pick Mac Jones off and show them why they should’ve never let me go.”
The matchup will mark Jackson's first game against his former team since he departed during the 2022 offseason. Jackson was the top corner on the free-agent market last offseason, but it didn't appear that the Patriots valued him that much. In 2021, they placed a second-round free-agent tender on him and not a first-round tender after he recorded nine interceptions in the season prior.
Former #Patriots CB JC Jackson on playing against New England this season:
“It's a revenge game for me. I'm excited to go back and pick Mac Jones off and show them why they should've never let me go.”
👀👀👀
— Mike Kadlick (@mikekadlick) May 11, 2023
Even though JC Jackson arguably stepped up his game in 2021, the Patriots didn't place the franchise tag on him. Just hours into the start of the legal tampering window in free agency, Jackson came to an agreement on a five-year, $82.5 million deal with the Chargers. With the deal happening that quickly, it seemingly suggested that New England didn't regard him that highly.
In Jackson's final season with the Patriots, he recorded eight interceptions, a forced fumble and a career-high 58 combined tackles to earn him a Pro Bowl nod and second-team All-Pro honors as he typically performed well on a week-to-week basis.
The first year for both the Patriots and Jackson without each other didn't go too well for either side though. New England didn't make a big move to replace Jackson, drafting two corners in the middle rounds of the 2022 NFL Draft and promoting Jonathan Jones from nickel corner to its top outside corner. Jones had some success though he often struggled with some of the game's top receivers.
Jackson, on the other hand, had preseason ankle surgery that caused him to miss the Chargers' season opener. He struggled in the weeks that followed though, giving up 19 receptions on 27 targets for 370 yards and four touchdowns during the 2022 season, per Pro Football Focus. He was benched during the Chargers' Week 6 win over the Denver Broncos and ruptured his patellar tendon a week later, ending his season.
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