Patriots cornerback J.C. Jackson was active for Sunday’s game but did not play and was not on the sideline. Jackson’s agent, Neil Schwartz, told Adam Schefter of ESPN that Jackson is dealing with mental health issues.
Coach Bill Belichick has said little about Jackson’s status other than Jackson wasn’t available to play against the Chiefs.
The Patriots announced Tuesday, though, that they have placed Jackson on the reserve/non-football illness list.
New England acquired Jackson from the Chargers in an Oct. 5 trade. He began his career with the Patriots, playing with them from 2018-21 before leaving in the 2022 offseason for a five-year, $82.5 million deal from the Chargers.
The Chargers benched Jackson early this season before cutting their losses.
Jackson’s troubles continued in New England when he didn’t make the trip to Germany for a Nov. 12 game against the Colts. He told masslive.com that he missed “bed checks” at the team hotel the previous week, which led to the discipline.
Jackson started six games for the Patriots this season, totaling 25 tackles and six passes defended.
The Patriots also announced they claimed quarterback Nathan Rourke off waivers from the Jaguars and signed running back Kevin Harris to the 53-player roster from the practice squad.
They signed defensive back William Hooper and running back Ke’Shawn Vaughn to the practice squad.
