The Chicago Bears have lots of work to do this off-season. Everybody is focused on who the team might be bringing in, both in free agency and the NFL draft. However, GM Ryan Poles also has some tough decisions to make regarding players on the roster. Jaylon Johnson, Yannick Ngakoue, Justin Jones, Darnell Mooney, Lucas Patrick, Robert Tonyan, Marcedes Lewis, and D’Onta Foreman are among several key free agents he must decide to retain or let walk. It doesn’t end there, though. There are a couple of names still under contract he must figure out. Perhaps the most pressing is safety Eddie Jackson.
After such a promising bounce-back year in 2022 for the former All-Pro, injuries hampered him this year. He had only one interception and never seemed to have a significant impact despite the defense’s overall improvement. Jackson is due $18 million this year, which is the final one of the contract extension he signed in 2020. Some have wondered if the Bears would decide to release him, collecting $12.56 million in salary cap space. Based on Jackson’s most recent post on X (Twitter), it’s hard not to believe that outcome is inevitable.
Eddie Jackson will go down as the biggest steal of the 2010s.
A broken leg at Alabama led to him falling to the 4th round in the 2017 NFL draft. Chicago traded up to get him, gambling that he could be a playmaker once he was healthy. That proved 100% accurate. Jackson immediately became one of the most feared ballhawks in the NFL, securing six interceptions and All-Pro honors in 2018. Across seven seasons, he collected 15 interceptions and ten forced fumbles. While never what you’d call a complete player, he was always a playmaker on some really good defenses.
If this is the case and Eddie Jackson is gone, the Bears have to figure out how they’re going to replace him. Are they ready to trust Elijah Hicks or Quindell Johnson with the starting job? If not, they could look to free agency. An obvious target for head coach Matt Eberflus is Julian Blackmon, who worked with him for a few years in Indianapolis. Antoine Winfield Jr., Kyle Dugger, Geno Stone, and Xavier McKinney are some other names worth watching. If not, they will likely address the position at some point in the upcoming draft.
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