J.C. Jackson said he expects to play Sunday when the Chargers take on Las Vegas at SoFi Stadium.
The veteran cornerback was inactive last weekend in Minnesota despite being healthy enough to play, coach Brandon Staley explaining that he made the decision based on what he felt gave the Chargers their best chance to win.
“Yes, absolutely,” Jackson said Thursday. “I expect to play.”
Asked if he had been told anything specifically by Staley or a member of the staff, Jackson said, “The coach asked me how do I feel about playing this week and I told him, ‘I’ll be ready. I’ll be ready to go.’ ”
On Monday, Staley called Jackson “a work in progress” and said his status for the game against the Raiders would be “determined by what happens in practice this week.”
Staley also talked about Jackson’s preparation “just in terms of that overall product, from the beginning of the week to the end of the week, just giving us the best chance to win on Sunday.”
Jackson said he hasn’t changed anything this week in terms of preparing, choosing to stick with what he believes is best for him.
“I’ve been doing my same routine since the season started or even before the season got started,” he said. “…I’m going to continue to be who I am, continue to work hard and come to work and do what I gotta do.”
Staley’s next scheduled media availability is Friday.
On Wednesday, speaking to a reporter from NFL.com, Jackson expressed confusion over why he was inactive. He initially dismissed questions on the same topic Thursday before relenting.
“I’m still kind of confused on why,” he said. “But I can’t put my opinion on it. It was the coach’s decision. It was above my … I can’t … I’m not in control. It’s not my team.”
Later, he added: “I’m over that. I’m with the team. I’m getting ready for Las Vegas this week.”
Still, Jackson acknowledged he wasn’t surprised that he was inactive against the Vikings saying, “I kind of knew what was going on. I kind of knew what was up.” He didn’t want to go into further detail on that subject.
After sitting out last week, Chargers cornerback J.C. Jackson (27) is expecting to play Sunday against the Las Vegas Raiders.
(Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)
Jackson started the first two games, playing 66% of the defensive snaps in Week 1 and 63% in Week 2.
Coming back from a significant knee injury, he appeared to be progressing before being inactive. Jackson has repeated several times — including on Thursday — that he is still not 100% healthy.
In March 2022, the Chargers signed Jackson to a five-year contract that guaranteed him $40 million and is worth up to $82.5 million.
But he struggled last season, first dealing with a foot issue that required surgery in August and then playing poorly enough upon his return that he was benched. Jackson then went down for the season in Week 7.
While Jackson’s on-field problems continue, he has been dealing with a legal matter this week, too. On Monday, an arrest warrant was issued for him in Massachusetts for a probation violation.
He failed to appear in district court last week in Attleboro for a hearing related to reckless driving and speeding charges he faced while still a member of the New England Patriots, according to court documents.
Jackson said Thursday that the situation has been resolved.
“Everything is handled,” he said. “It was a miscommunication. Everything’s taken care of.”
Injury report
Safety Derwin James Jr. (hamstring), edge rusher Joey Bosa (hamstring/toe), center Corey Linsley (illness), tight end Gerald Everett (illness) and safety Alohi Gilman (heel) all missed practice for the second consecutive day. … Running back Austin Ekeler (ankle), left tackle Rashawn Slater (ankle), linebacker Eric Kendricks (hamstring) and linebacker Kenneth Murray Jr. (groin) were limited. All nine players are starters. … Also limited was reserve cornerback Deane Leonard (hamstring).
