Patriots are bringing back an old friend to help bolster an injury-riddled secondary.
The Patriots are trading for Chargers cornerback J.C. Jackson, NFL Network Insider Ian Rapoport reported on Wednesday per sources informed of the deal. New England and L.A. will swap 2025 sixth and seventh-round selections.
The trade for Jackson comes on the heels of rookie corner Christian Gonzalez leaving the Patriots' Week 4 loss in Dallas due to a dislocated shoulder injury. Rapoport reported that the first-round corner suffered a torn labrum and will likely miss the rest of the season after undergoing surgery.
To facilitate the trade, the Patriots and Chargers are reworking Jackson's remaining $9.33 million salary for 2023, with New England covering around $1.5 million and the Chargers covering the rest in a signing bonus, sources told ESPN's Jeremy Fowler. Jackson's contract, which runs through the 2026 season, stays intact otherwise, the sources said.
Promising Patriots rookie cornerback Christian Gonzalez, the team's first-round pick this year, suffered a shoulder injury in New England's 38-3 loss to the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday. A source told ESPN's Adam Schefter that Gonzalez has a torn labrum and is out indefinitely.
Patriots, winning a Super Bowl as a rookie and spending four seasons with the Patriots.
He signed a big-money deal with the Chargers in 2022 but has not lived up to the contract, playing in just seven games over the past two seasons. He was a healthy scratch for L.A. in Week 3, and he didn't play in Week 4.
It was reported in late September that there was an arrest warrant out for Jackson in Massachusetts after his failure to appear in court. That matter is related to traffic charges.
The Chargers also incentivized the Patriots to take back Jackson. The Patriots will cover $1.5 million of Jackson's remaining $9.33 million salary for this season while the Chargers will cover the rest in a signing bonus, ESPN reported. While Jackson is under contract for three more seasons following 2023, he isn't owed any guaranteed money beyond this year. 
J.C. Jackson made the Patriots as an undrafted rookie out of Maryland in 2018 and became an immediate contributor known for his ball-hawking ways. He recorded an impressive 25 interceptions in his five seasons with the Patriots, never missing a game in his final three seasons with the team, including a full slate of 17 starts in 2021, a season that earned him second-team All-Pro status and a trip to the Pro Bowl. Jackson will now look to recapture that magic in his second stint with New England.
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