Well, that didn’t last long.
Nearly six months after trading for J.C. Jackson, the New England Patriots are moving on from the former All-Pro cornerback. The team officially announced his release on Friday, which wasn’t really that big of a surprise.
Jackson’s on-field production was up and down in his return, and he reportedly missed the final four games of the season due to a personal matter. He was also sent home for the Patriots’ international game in Germany against the Indianapolis Colts, after missing curfew at the team hotel.
At the end of the day, the level of production didn’t match the contract. But even more importantly, the Patriots also saved a whopping $13.46 million by moving on from Jackson.
My new Patriots salary cap space number after the J.C. Jackson release is $100,333,802- a $13.46M increase. A prior tweet fat-fingered one too many threes.
— Patscap's Patriots Cap Space Number is 86,873,802 (@patscap) March 1, 2024
The Patriots already have a solid cornerback room with Christian Gonzalez, Marcus Jones and Jonathan Jones. Shaun Wade also stepped up as a contributor last season.
Alex Austin is another name to keep an eye on for a potential contract extension. He held his own in tough coverage matchups as a rookie last season, and he could provide quality depth on the roster.
It’s tough to see Jackson go because of the history he has in New England as a former Super Bowl champion. Many thought he was going to be one of the cornerstone players of the defense for years to come, until he cashed out in Los Angeles.
Jackson is clearly a talented player that will have other opportunities, but this was the right move for the Patriots to give themselves their best shot at rebuilding the roster successfully.
