BREAKING: Patriots Cut J.C. Jackson

The New England Patriots have released cornerback J.C. Jackson, adding to their wealth of salary cap space heading into the upcoming NFL year.

FOXBORO — The New England Patriots have released cornerback J.C. Jackson, creating approximately $13.5 million in available salary cap space. New England will not incur a dead money hit as a result of the move. 

Jackson re-joined the Patriots via trade from the Los Angeles Chargers in early October. The 28-year-old spent from 2018-21 with the Pats — a four-year stint which included a Super Bowl championship (LIII) and earning nods as a both Pro Bowler and an All-Pro. Since his return, he has logged 25 tackles and six passes-defensed.

Cred: USA Today Sports Images

Jackson’s short second tour-of-duty in New England appeared to be cloaked in struggle from the start. He had been placed on the non-football illness (NFI) in December, effectively ending his season.  He had been dealing with a personal illness, which ultimately caused him to miss the Patriots’ Week 15 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs. While the nature of his indisposition has yet to be confirmed, his agent Neil Schwartz’s confirmed that his client had been dealing with “mental health issues.” Since that time, several of Jackson’s teammates, including the recently-retired Matthew Slater, expressed their concern for Jackson and wished him well in his recovery. 

In addition to Week 15, Jackson also missed the Patriots Week 10 matchup with the Indianapolis Colts due to personal reasons, and thus did not travel with the team to Frankfurt, Germany.

Patriots Salary Cap Moves: 3 Players Signing?

With the release, New England is now expected to have $100.3 million in available salary cap space [per expert Miguel Benzan] to start the upcoming season, set to commence on March 13. 

The Pats currently have Christian Gonzalez, Shaun Wade, Jonathan Jones, Marcus Jones, Marco Wilson, and Isaiah Bolden under contract at the position heading into 2024.  

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