The New England Patriots shored up their defensive backfield with the acquisition of J.C. Jackson on Wednesday morning, but it came at the expense of another player’s misfortune. It was previously reported that the team’s first-round draft choice out of Oregon, Christian Gonzalez, would be out indefinitely with a shoulder injury.
Well, now we know why the Patriots went out and acquired Jackson, who signed a five-year, $82.5 million contract ahead of the 2022 NFL season. According to NFL Network insider Ian Rapoport, Gonzalez will likely miss the remainder of the 2023 NFL season with a torn labrum from a dislocated shoulder.
The trade for JC Jackson was necessary because… #Patriots CB Christian Gonzalez, who would have been a candidate for defensive rookie of the year, is likely to miss the rest of the 2023 season with a torn labrum from a dislocated shoulder on Sunday, sources say. Surgery soon. pic.twitter.com/97usulsG6N
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) October 4, 2023
The likely Defensive Rookie of the Year candidate will soon undergo surgery.
The Patriots’ defense has been the backbone of their team early on this season, ranking in the top ten in yards allowed per game through four games. And a huge reason for that was Gonzalez, who was already playing like a No. 1 cornerback this season and put the clamps on New York Jets wide receiver Garrett Wilson during their earlier matchup in Week 3 of the 2023 season.
The loss of Gonzalez will certainly put New England’s defense to the test, but the Patriots are likely hoping that the acquisition of Jackson can help soften that blow.
The NFL world was quick to react to the brutal injury update.
https://twitter.com/BeezyMcGee/status/1709576124051730723?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1709576124051730723%7Ctwgr%5Eb8d533c760a9179721292fc1ca1fdb4802132a9d%7Ctwcon%5Es1_c10&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fpublish.twitter.com%2F%3Fquery%3Dhttps3A2F2Ftwitter.com2FBeezyMcGee2Fstatus2F1709576124051730723widget%3DTweet
Ugh, absolutely brutal. Kid’s a ton of fun to watch. https://t.co/jOFhS9DOT5
— Adam Kaufman (@AdamMKaufman) October 4, 2023
stinks. he was on track to have a special rookie season https://t.co/6yxl6hMZ2u
— charles (“you look good” – andy reid) mcdonald (@FourVerts) October 4, 2023
Brutal blow for Gonzalez, who looked like a Defensive Rookie of the Year candidate through three weeks. https://t.co/H34v6FEDAS
— Zack Cox (@zm_cox) October 4, 2023
These are the tough breaks the Patriots seem to keep falling into. Losing an entire year of a guy on his rookie contract that looked like he had a case for DROY. Just guy of speaks to the road blocks this team has hit and this one is truly unlucky. https://t.co/fO8Qx3YEs4
— Tanner James (@tjdissect) October 4, 2023
This just stinks on so many levels for the #Patriots. Clearly hit on a first-round pick with elite traits, and he's done for the season four games into his rookie year. Just brutal. https://t.co/6oDDNn8fih
— Evan Lazar (@ezlazar) October 4, 2023
losing Judon and Gonzalez (who was BALLING) for the season in the same game is just no fair! Get well soon, fellas
https://t.co/pVS9yI7odN — Donté Stallworth (@DonteStallworth) October 4, 2023
Wow. What a disappointing end to such a promising start for Christian Gonzalez https://t.co/hXxQc84L88
— Mark Daniels (@ByMarkDaniels) October 4, 2023
While it’s an unfortunate blow for Gonzalez and the Patriots, there remains zero doubt that New England hit a home run with its first-round pick out of Oregon.
About Sam Neumann
Since the beginning of 2023, Sam has been a staff writer for Awful Announcing and The Comeback. A 2021 graduate of Temple University, Sam is a Charlotte native, who currently calls Greenville, South Carolina his home. He also has a love/hate relationship with the New York Mets and Jets.