The Los Angeles Chargers made one of the biggest splashes during the 2022 offseason when they inked cornerback J.C. Jackson to a five-year, $82.5 million contract. At the time, Jackson, who was coming off an All-Pro season, was looked at as the missing piece to the L.A. secondary to help put them over the top in the AFC West. While there was hope for this marriage out of the gate, it came crumbling down in a hurry. Jackson didn't live up to his free-agent billing whatsoever as poor play and injuries plagued his tenure, and was ultimately traded to the Patriots last month just a year into his deal.
Jackson played just seven games for the Chargers and was paid $38.5 million before they received a late-round swap with New England in the deal to ship him out of town. No matter which way you slice it, it was a poor maneuver made by GM Tom Telesco, and he has since put his hand up and admitted as much.
During the first defensive backs meeting following the trade of Jackson, ESPN reports that Telesco attended the meeting and apologized to the group for the signing. He said that bringing Jackson aboard was a "swing and a miss" and apologized for continuing to give him opportunities despite the corner showing that he was not as committed as his teammates despite being one of the highest-paid players.
While injuries did play a part in Jackson's demise in L.A., he wasn't the same player the team thought they were signing when he was on the field. In 2022, opposing quarterbacks registered a 149.3 passer rating when targeting Jackson and completed nearly 67% of their passes. There was also discontent on the part of Jackson as the report notes that those around the organization said he had a "lackadaisical" attitude and did not respond to coaching. That was apparent in Week 4 earlier this year when he refused to go in a game after being benched for the first three quarters.
All that contributed to the end of his tenure in L.A. and has made Telesco wish he could have a mulligan altogether.
