After a brief stint with the Atlanta Falcons, JaQuae Jackson has found a new home. The former Rutgers wide receiver was signed by the New England Patriots on Thursday.
The Falcons had waived Jackson to open up a roster spot for Andrew Stueber, who was signed on Wednesday. Jackson spent one season with Rutgers, joining the Big Ten program out of the transfer portal.
His one season of Power Five football helped him to this platform and chance in the NFL, now with the Patriots.
While Jackson went undrafted before joining Atlanta, he was a productive piece for Rutgers during the 2023 campaign. He appeared in 13 games and recorded 361 receiving yards, the second most on the team. Before his stint at Rutgers, Jackson recorded 2120 receiving yards in three seasons at Pennsylvania Western University California.
New Patriots WR JaQuae Jackson had 361 receiving yards on 22 catches with 1 touchdown at Rutgers last season.
He finished 9th in the country in receiving yards in Division II in 2022 with 1,178 receiving yards and 13 touchdowns on 77 receptions at California (PA). https://t.co/RaKhTieRIN pic.twitter.com/TaPhr8t5Bk
— Matt St. Jean (@mattstdream) June 6, 2024
Over the last few months, the Patriots have been busy reshaping their wide receiver room. That includes signing K.J. Osborn to a one-year deal and using two draft picks, Ja’Lynn Polk and Javon Baker, on wide receivers. After struggling to score last year, the Patriots have tried to weaponize their offseason.
[lawrence-related id=38658,38651,38643]
While Jackson will have to battle for playing time, he was a reliable wide receiver in college. He averaged 27.8 yards a game in the Big Ten and found the end zone once. Although those numbers don’t jump off the page, Jackson was able to have success while Rutgers quarterbacks finished with the lowest completion percentage in the Big Ten.
With the Patriots embarking on a new era, Jackson will be looking to show that he can make an impact and carve out a role.