Patriots’ J.C. Jackson Placed on NFI List; CB Was Active, Didn’t Play vs. Chiefs | News, Scores, Highlights, Stats, and Rumors

The New England Patriots placed cornerback J.C. Jackson on the reserve/non-football illness list on Tuesday after he was active but did not play in Sunday’s 27-17 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs.

ESPN’s Adam Schefter noted that Patriots head coach Bill Belichick said Jackson “wasn’t available” after the game, while the cornerback’s agent, Neil Schwartz, said he was “dealing with mental health issues.”

Jackson was seen in the locker room before the game started.

ESPN’s Mike Reiss noted the Patriots believed Jackson was going to play 90 minutes before kickoff, which is when they had to declare inactive players. As a result, cornerback Shaun Wade was declared inactive.

That meant neither were available when Jackson didn’t play, which left the team shorthanded against Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs’ aerial attack.

“I didn’t expect to start today,” rookie Alex Austin said after the loss. “I always go into every game ready for an opportunity because you never know when your number will be called. I found out right when the game started [that I’d be playing], and I was ready for my opportunity.”

Jackson also missed curfew earlier this season ahead of the Patriots’ game against the Washington Commanders and did not travel with the team to Germany for the ensuing matchup against the Indianapolis Colts.

New England acquired him from the Los Angeles Chargers via trade in October.

The 28-year-old played the first four seasons of his career with the Patriots, so it was something of a homecoming. He has played 10 games across his time with the Chargers and Patriots this season and has 28 tackles, nine passes defended and one interception.

New England is 3-11 and playing out the string on a lost season. Next up is a matchup against the Denver Broncos on Sunday.