Patriots CB J.C. Jackson not expected to travel with team to Germany amid reliability questions

The J.C. Jackson reunion in New England hasn’t gone the way the club hoped. Entering Week 10’s game against the Indianapolis Colts, the situation took another negative turn.

Jackson is not expected to travel with the team to Germany to face the Colts, NFL Network Insiders Ian Rapoport and Mike Garafolo reported Wednesday, per sources informed of the situation. He was later listed as a non-participant on the practice report due to personal reasons.

Amid questions about his reliability, Jackson will stay behind in a move the club hopes will be a mental reset, according to Rapoport and Garafolo. New England has a bye in Week 11.

As injuries in the secondary mounted in early October, including losing first-round pick Christian Gonzalez for the season, the Pats swung a low-cost trade for Jackson, who was on the outs in Los Angeles. The hope in New England was that the former Pro Bowler might recapture his play-making ways in the comfort of Foxborough. Things haven’t worked out that way.

There have been a few positive moments, but the struggles that plagued Jackson in L.A. mostly continued in New England. In five games, Jackson has allowed 16 catches for 192 yards and three touchdowns while incurring two penalties and allowing a 103.2 passer rating, per PFF.

Jackson has started three games but saw his play time dwindle over the past two weeks. In Sunday’s loss to Washington, Jackson and fellow DB Jack Jones opened the game on the bench, reportedly due to performance issues. Jackson played 53 snaps (68%) for the game, allowing one catch on two targets for 16 yards.

Leaving Jackson home as the club heads to Germany is the latest downturn in the 27-year-old’s career since signing a big-money deal with the Chargers in 2022. Jackson struggled mightily in his first season in L.A. before suffering a season-ending injury. This year, he again got off to a rough start before being a healthy scratch in Week 3 and not playing a snap in Week 4. L.A. then cut its losses, shipping him to New England while eating a chunk of his contract.

The Patriots hope two weeks off will salvage the situation with Jackson.