The New England Patriots acquired cornerback J.C. Jackson in a trade with the Los Angeles Chargers on Wednesday. The teams are swapping 2025 sixth- and seventh-round picks in the deal, with the Patriots getting Jackson and the Chargers' seventh-rounder in that draft, and the Chargers getting New England's sixth-rounder.
Jackson was originally signed by the Pats as an undrafted free agency and played in New England from 2018 to 2021 before signing a five-year, $82.5 million deal with the Chargers in free agency last year. The two teams are reworking Jackson's remaining $9.33 million salary for 2023 as part of the deal, with New England covering around $1.5 million and the Chargers covering the rest in a signing bonus.
Jackson had 25 interceptions with the Patriots, but he only played in seven games over two seasons in L.A. and hauled in just one pick during that time. He was a healthy scratch in Week 3 and had legal trouble in late September, when police in North Attleboro, Massachusetts, issued an arrest warrant after the cornerback failed to pay a $600 fine and attend a four-hour class on reckless driving. He dressed in Week 4 but did not play any snaps.
Let's break it down and grade the deal for both teams. As we always say: General managers don't get the benefit of hindsight, so we shouldn't enjoy that privilege, either. Let's judge the deal based on the information we have at the time and try to figure out which team won it.
Chargers trade CB Jackson to Patriots
Chargers get: 2025 sixth-round pick
Patriots get: Jackson, 2025 seventh-round pick