The New England Patriots are bringing back an old friend to help bolster an injury-riddled secondary.
The Patriots are sending a 2025 sixth-round pick to the Chargers, who will send Jackson and a 2025 seventh-round pick to New England, according to ESPN.
Additionally, Tom Pelissero and Jeremy Fowler reported that the Chargers are covering the bulk of Jackson’s salary for this season.
Jackson, 27, entered the league as an undrafted free agent in 2018 with the 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.
The #Patriots and #Chargers will swap 2025 6th and 7th rounders, sources say. https://t.co/LHfmbBxTb6
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) October 4, 2023
L.A. will take a $15 million dead-cap charge in 2024, due to the dumping of the contract.
Jackson spent the first four years of his career with New England. He was undrafted out of Maryland in 2018.
In the Chargers’ next game, last Sunday against another one of the league’s best receivers in Davante Adams of the Las Vegas Raiders, Jackson was active but didn’t play a snap. He watched from the sideline for the second week in a row, but this time in uniform, as the Chargers picked up their second win without him.
Jackson, 27, played seven games total in two seasons with the Chargers and had one interception. He had 25 interceptions in his first four NFL seasons with the Patriots.
