Washington Commanders cornerback William Jackson III denies he requested a trade.
“I never said that,” Jackson said, per John Keim of ESPN. “I never said, ‘I want out.’ I love my teammates, I love being around the guys. People are going to write what they want to write. I just sit back and do my job.”
Jackson is nursing a back injury that has caused him to miss two games this season, including last Thursday’s 12-7 win over the Chicago Bears. Jackson did not travel with the team to Chicago just days after he got pulled in the first half the Week prior against the Tennessee Titans.
Hours before the game against the Bears, NFL Network reported Jackson preferred to play in a new defensive scheme and new home. Jackson is considered a man-to-man cornerback, but the Commanders’ defense has been zone-heavy under defensive coordinator Jack Del Rio.
While Jackson denies the initial report, ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler reported Tuesday that the Commanders have been looking to grant Jackson his request for a trade.
Commanders head coach Ron Rivera has been mum on multiple occasions whether Jackson’s pulling in the Titans’ loss was due to performance or injury.
Tuesday, Rivera told the media he did not anticipate Jackson would play in Week 7’s game against the Green Bay Packers. When asked if Jackson would play when healthy, Rivera responded, “Well, we’ll see. That’s to be determined,” according to Keim.
William Jackson is in the second year of a three-year, $40.5 million contract he signed with Washington in 2021. Jackson’s struggles throughout two seasons have been well-documented.
In four games this season, Jackson has allowed a 70.8% completion rate and two touchdowns by opposing quarterbacks with a 121.9 quarterback rating.
