COSTA MESA, Calif. — JC Jackson was sitting at his locker in the corner of the Los Angeles Chargers locker room Thursday afternoon, and when he heard the question, the star cornerback looked at the floor and paused for a moment.
Are you healthy?
He looked up.
“I was playing, so I wanted to say—”
Jackson paused, then continued.
“I’m not 100 percent,” he said. “I did what I could.”
Whatever Jackson did wasn’t good enough for Brandon Staley and the rest of the Chargers coaching staff. That is clear through three games this season.
Jackson, who suffered a season-ending ruptured patellar tendon in Week 7 last season, was inactive for the Chargers’ 28-24 win over the Minnesota Vikings on Sunday in Minneapolis. Staley said after the game that it was a “coach’s decision.” There is no mention of any health concerns related to the knee. And Staley followed up Monday’s response by saying Jackson’s issues had to do with “the whole product, from the beginning of the week to the end of the week.”
Jackson’s knee injury was serious, and he showed great effort and determination in his rehab process, staying at the team’s facility throughout the offseason. He was ahead of schedule when he took part in the first practice of training camp, and he showed up enough to start the Chargers’ first two games of the season, losses to the Miami Dolphins and Tennessee Titans.
Jackson would not have been able to take the field for training camp or the first two games this season if he had not been medically cleared. And yet on Thursday, he was adamant that he was not completely healthy.
A reporter started a question with, “You said you’re not 100 percent …”
Jackson cut off the question.
“I know I’m not,” he said firmly. “It’s not ‘thinking.’ I know.”
The Chargers signed Jackson to a five-year, $82.5 million contract last offseason for games like the one they played Sunday at US Bank Stadium.
The Vikings have perhaps the best receiver in football in Justin Jefferson. In March 2022, days after agreeing to terms with Jackson, Staley had this to say: “We’re looking for … someone with his ability to cover against No. He’s one of the few guys in the league that travels with the No. 1 receiver.
When that opportunity came Sunday, Jackson watched from the sidelines wearing a hoodie and shorts.
“I’m still confused as to why,” Jackson said when asked about the Vikings’ game inactivity. “I can’t put my opinion on it. It was a coach’s decision. It is above (me). I couldn’t help it. This is not my team. So that’s what I said. I can tell you that I’m confused, I don’t know what happened. But that’s not the real answer to why I didn’t play last week or why I didn’t start. It’s on top of me.”
It’s hard to imagine one of the Chargers’ coaching staffs — especially Staley or defensive coordinator Derrick Ansley — not having a conversation with Jackson explaining exactly why he was inactive Sunday.
And Jackson contradicted himself to a degree in his media session Thursday. When asked if his sitting was a surprise, Jackson replied, “It wasn’t a surprise. I know what happened. I know what happened. “
What happened?
“You’re all trying to get an answer that I’m not going to give you all,” Jackson said. “Last week was last week. Let’s leave last week where it is.”
The Chargers, in the end, have every incentive to get the best out of Jackson. They gave him a contract that made him one of the top-10 highest paid cornerbacks in the league. The stakes couldn’t be higher for the organization this season. The path to a better defensive unit for Staley is helping Jackson rediscover the level of play he showed in New England. The Chargers’ every move and decision is designed to make that happen.
“He’s on our team,” Staley said Monday, “and we expect him to prepare and practice and continue to improve. That’s what we expect for him.”
Sitting out Sunday seemed like a challenge for Jackson.
On Monday, a warrant was issued for his arrest in Massachusetts after he failed to appear in court for a probation violation hearing.
When asked about the warrant on Thursday, Jackson said, “I’ve got a team on top of it. Everything was handled. It was a miscommunication. But everything was taken care of, man.”
Jackson said he is looking forward to playing this Sunday when the Chargers host the Las Vegas Raiders in a matchup of 1-2 AFC West teams.
“We are ready to beat the donkey in Las Vegas,” he said.
Staley said Wednesday that “all options are open” as far as Jackson’s role against the Raiders, including being active but not starting.
Another elite receiver awaits Davante Adams, who had 18 catches for 318 yards and three touchdowns in two games against the Chargers last season.
Will Jackson get the chance this weekend to be No.
That, in the end, is up to him.
“I didn’t change anything,” Jackson. “I will continue to be who I am, continue to work hard, work and do what I have to do. No pressure on me. So I just go about my daily routine, be a professional and take care of business on Sunday. “
Required reading
(Photo: Jayne Kamin-Oncea / USA Today)