Patriots Rumors: J.C. Jackson ‘Didn’t Show Up at the Team Hotel at All’ Last Week

Winslow Townson/AP Images for Panini

Additional information surfaced Sunday regarding the New England Patriots’ decision to leave veteran cornerback J.C. Jackson at home for their game against the Indianapolis Colts in Germany.

According to ESPN’s Mike Reiss, never showed up at the team hotel last week and didn’t take part in pregame warm-ups, which led to head coach Bill Belichick choosing not to bring Jackson to Germany as disciplinary action.

Despite last week’s issues, Jackson played 68 percent of the Patriots’ defensive snaps in a 20-17 loss to the Washington Commanders.

NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport initially reported on Wednesday that the Pats planned to leave Jackson at home in Week 10 due to “questions about his reliability” and the desire to have him “return in a better place” after the bye.

New England signed Jackson as an undrafted free agent out of Maryland in 2018, and he enjoyed four successful and productive seasons with the Pats before signing a five-year, $82.5 million contract with the Los Angeles Chargers in 2022.

Injuries limited Jackson to just five games last season, and after appearing in only two games for the Bolts this season, they sent him and a 2025 seventh-round pick to the Pats for a 2025 sixth-round pick.

The Chargers made Jackson a healthy scratch in Week 3 after he struggled over the first two weeks, and per NFL Network’s Rapoport and Tom Pelissero, Jackson refused to go into the game in Week 4 despite being active.

According to ESPN’s Kris Rhim, sources said Chargers general manager Tom Telesco apologized to the team’s other defensive backs for “continuing to give Jackson opportunities, despite Jackson routinely showing that he wasn’t as committed as the rest of the team,” and called the Jackson signing a “swing and a miss.”

New England clearly hoped Jackson could get back to his old ways by bringing him back to the place where he enjoyed his greatest success.

Over his first four NFL seasons with the Pats, Jackson was a one-time Pro Bowler and won a Super Bowl, plus he reeled in an impressive 25 interceptions, including nine in 2020 and eight in 2021.

Jackson also led the NFL with 23 passes defended in 2021, leading to his first and only Pro Bowl nod.

The Patriots lost rookie first-round pick Christian Gonzalez for the season due to a shoulder injury, which left them with a significant hole in their secondary.

Jackson hasn’t necessarily been the answer thus far, as the Pats entered Sunday with a 1-4 record since his return to the organization.

With Jackson inactive, the Patriots went into Sunday’s game in Germany with Jonathan Jones, Jack Jones, Myles Bryant and Shaun Wade as their active corners.

When asked Friday about Jackson’s status after next week’s bye, Belichick said, “I think he’ll be available,” per Rapoport.