Mr. INT has been intercepted by a new AFC team.
The Los Angeles Chargers are signing Pro Bowl cornerback J.C. Jackson to a five-year, $82.5 million deal, NFL Network Insider Ian Rapoport reported Monday. The contract includes $28 million in the first year and $40 million over the first two, Rapoport added. Jackson will get $40 million guaranteed, per NFL Network's Mike Giardi.
Not done bolstering their defense with Jackson, the Chargers are also expected to sign Rams defensive tackle Sebastian Joseph-Day to a three-year, $24 million deal with $15 million guaranteed, Rapoport reported.
The blockbuster agreement with Jackson comes less than a week after the Chargers agreed to acquire star pass rusher Khalil Mack in a trade with the Bears. Adding Jackson to pair with Pro Bowl safety Derwin James gives the Bolts one of the better secondaries in football. Jackson is coming off a career year with the Patriots, tallying eight interceptions and an NFL-best 23 passes defensed to earn his first Pro Bowl nod and a second-team All-Pro selection.
The 26-year-old corner has emerged as one of the top players at his position since going undrafted in 2018. No player has more interceptions than Jackson's 25 over the past four years. No one in league history has recorded more during the first four years of their career.
Jackson, who hit the open market after New England opted not to use its franchise tag on him last week, was the No. 2 player available on Gregg Rosenthal’s Top 101 NFL free agents of 2022.
Despite injuries cutting his 2021 season down to seven games, Joseph-Day tallied a career-high three sacks and should provide a presence on the interior of the defensive line that's a need for the Bolts. He was Rosenthal's 70th-ranked free agent.
