Bill Simmons Drops Relatable Tweet About Patriots’ J.C. Jackson Trade

The Ringer’s Bill Simmons echoed the sentiment of many New England Patriots fans Wednesday with his reaction to the J.C. Jackson trade.

The Patriots reportedly agreed to acquire Jackson from the Los Angeles Chargers as part of a deal that includes a swap of late-round draft picks. The Bolts reportedly agreed to pay the bulk of Jackson’s remaining 2023 salary, an indication of just how much the cornerback fell out of favor in LA.

Simmons took to X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, shortly after the news broke and reposted a tweet from NFL Media’s Ian Rapoport. He added, “What in the hell?”

Simmons surely wasn’t alone in that reaction, as it’s somewhat surprising to see Jackson return to New England after signing a five-year, $82.5 million contract with Los Angeles before the 2022 season. Jackson, who turns 28 next month, spent his first four seasons with the Patriots, totaling 25 interceptions in that span and earning a Pro Bowl selection in 2021.

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Jackson wasn’t the same player with the Chargers. He struggled in five games in 2022 before suffering a season-ending knee injury. And he stunk this season, as well, before being scratched the last two weeks. There’s also a question as to just how healthy he is before Week 5.

But Jackson reportedly doesn’t have any guaranteed money remaining on is contract beyond this season. So, the move makes sense for the Patriots, whose cornerback depth chart took another hit Sunday when Christian Gonzalez suffered a dislocated shoulder and torn labrum that reportedly could sideline the high-performing rookie for the remainder of 2023.