J.C. Jackson can't wait to pick off Mac Jones: "It's a revenge game for me"
BOSTON -- It may feel like a long time ago, but it was just last year when the Patriots let J.C. Jackson walk via free agency. While New Englanders have largely moved on, Jackson himself has not.
The cornerback made that clear on NFL Network on Thursday night, when he was asked for his thoughts on his visit to New England as a member of the Los Angeles Chargers.
"It's a revenge game for me," Jackson said. "I'm excited to go back and pick Mac Jones off and show them why they should've never let me go."
JC Jackson wasn’t thrilled, remember, when he felt like the Patriots didn’t show much interest in bringing him back last year.
— Phil Perry (@PhilAPerry) May 11, 2023
“I guess they feel like they don’t need me,” he told me. “I guess I can’t be that important to them.” https://t.co/eQDwMf68Wnpic.twitter.com/HvTTpu4Rqk
Jackson, 27, was an undrafted free agent by the Patriots in 2018, making the team and playing in 13 games that season before helping to win a Super Bowl over the Rams.
He spent four years with the Patriots, leading the league in pass defenses (23) in his final year in 2021 and racking up 25 interceptions total.
In free agency last season, Jackson signed a five-year, $82.5 million contract with the Chargers, though his debut season went poorly. Injuries limited Jackson to just five ineffective games, and he had no interceptions and two pass defenses.
J.C. Jackson Passer Rating Allowed (as primary defender), season by season
— NFL on CBS 🏈 (@NFLonCBS) October 18, 2022
2018 27.3
2019 26.7
2020 41.9
2021 32.6
2022 110.8 pic.twitter.com/n9oP2dRrbW
But Jackson is obviously focused on turning that around next year, and he eyes the Chargers' visit to Foxboro as an opportunity to show off.