Adoree' Jackson expects grudge-free game against his former team

The Titans didn’t seem to miss Adoree’ Jackson all that much. After releasing him in the 2021 offseason to save money against the salary cap, they went on to earn the top seed in the AFC without him.

Deemed expendable in Nashville, he returns on Sunday as a starting cornerback for the Giants holding no ill feelings toward his former team.

“Not at all,” he said this week. “That’s the organization that drafted me, so I’m forever thankful and grateful for the opportunity that they gave me. It just didn’t pan out the way they wanted, and I wanted. That’s how life goes. God gives you second chances to open another door when one closes.”

That door came with the Giants, where he was signed to be the wingman cornerback to Pro Bowler James Bradberry in 2021. Now in his second year in New York, and with Bradberry gone, Jackson finds himself as the team’s top cover man.

“He’s been dependable,” coach Brian Daboll said. “He’s made a lot of plays on the ball. He knows our defense. He’s a good communicator. Corners, you’re kind of out there on an island a lot of the time, and I think his teammates really respect him.”

Jackson said he played with a carefree spirit this summer that allowed him to impress.

“I feel like I had the most fun that I’ve had in a while,” he said. “It made me feel like a kid again being out there playing, running around with the guys, just doing what I love to do. I think it has more to do with just me being through what I’ve been through, overcoming some things, and just learning about myself over these past couple of years going through life.”

Had the Titans not released him, in other words, he might not have found that bliss.

Just one more reason not to hold any grudges.

By Tom Rock

tom.rock@newsday.com@TomRock_Newsday

Tom Rock began covering sports for Newsday in 1996 and became its NFL columnist in 2022. He previously was Newsday's Giants beat writer beginning in 2008.