Jonah Jackson played only one season with the Rams, and his time in Los Angeles is set to come to an end. A trade agreement is in place which will see the veteran offensive lineman join the Bears.
Chicago is set to send Los Angeles a 2025 sixth-round pick in exchange for Jackson, ESPN’s Courtney Cronin reports. This deal will allow for a reunion between Jackson and Bears head coach Ben Johnson. The pair previously worked together in Detroit.
Expectations were high upon arrival for Jackson when he inked a three-year, $51MM free agent deal last spring. The Ohio State product was a key figure in the team’s efforts to shore up the interior of its offensive line. After seeing time at guard and center, though, Jackson was benched midway through the campaign. To no surprise, he was recently granted permission to seek a trade.
Jackson has a 2025 cap hit of $17.5MM for 2025, a figure which hindered his market and helps explain the limited return in the trade (which can become official as early as next week when the new league year begins). The Bears will take on the remainder of his compensation, Jourdan Rodrigue of The Athletic reports. With no financial adjustments taking place, Jackson will be owed a $9MM base salary next season; he is also due an $8.5MM roster bonus next week.
The Bears’ offensive line has faced question marks at every spot other than right tackle this offseason. The interior of the unit in particular has often been named as the subject of interest from Chicago. Prior to the news of this deal, ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler wrote the Bears were expected to make at least one addition along the interior of the O-line during free agency. It will be interesting to see if that will still be the case in the wake of this Jackson addition.
More to come…