NFL Reportedly Suspends Ex-Patriots Cornerback For Start Of 2024 Season

It’s been all downhill for former New England Patriots cornerback J.C. Jackson ever since signing a sizable contract with the Los Angeles Chargers in free agency in 2022.

It culminated Friday with the NFL suspending Jackson for the first game of the upcoming season after violating the league’s personal conduct policy, per NFL Media’s Mike Garafolo.

It’s unclear what exactly Jackson, who is currently a free agent and eligible to sign with any team, did to receive the suspension. There was an arrest warrant issued for Jackson last September after he failed to meet the terms of his probation stemming from a criminal speeding charge in 2021.

Jackson played eight games with the Patriots last season after being traded in the middle of the campaign from the Chargers. But it was a tension-filled second stint with the Patriots for Jackson, which included him being left home when New England traveled to Germany for a game against the Indianapolis Colts and Jackson missing the final four games of the season after landing on the non-football illness (NFI) list.

The Patriots released Jackson in a cap-saving move in March, but at the time, Jerod Mayo left the door open to a possible reunion with the embattled cornerback. ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler reported this offseason that the Patriots and Jackson had “mutual interest in a return.”

“Those discussions are still going,” Mayo told reporters. “I love J.C., coached him, saw him develop into a man. We’ll see how that goes going forward. But look, heck of a football player. Two years removed from injury, he’s probably going to move a lot better this year, so we’ll see.”

A return for Jackson to the Patriots looks extremely unlikely now. He originally joined New England as an undrafted free agent in 2018 and worked his way into being a Pro Bowler in 2022. He recorded 25 interceptions in his first four seasons with the Patriots, which led to him getting a lucrative five-year deal worth $82.5 million from the Chargers.

Jackson never lived up to that contract with Los Angeles. He played just seven games for the Chargers over one-plus season and lost most of his first season with Los Angeles after dislocating his knee cap.