Top NFL Insider Adds Smoke to Eddie Jackson Trade Talk

Eddie Jackson

Getty Eddie Jackson of the Chicago Bears breaks up a pass intended for Tyler Lockett of the Seattle Seahawks.

The Chicago Bears made a huge — and telling — move when they shipped superstar pass rusher Khalil Mack and his mega $63.9 million contract off to the Los Angeles Chargers in exchange for a 2022 second round pick and a 2023 sixth rounder.

The Bears followed that move by releasing two more veterans on hefty contracts: running back Tarik Cohen and nose tackle Eddie Goldman, adding over $8.9 million to their salary cap with both moves combined.

Now, some are wondering if Chicago could part ways with a few other veterans on sizable deals, with safety Eddie Jackson getting name-dropped as a possibility by one of the league’s most tuned-in insiders. The Bears inked Jackson to a $58.4 million contract extension in 2020, with $33 million guaranteed, making him the highest-paid safety in the NFL. His play since hasn’t warranted such a pay day.

Jackson earned an overall grade of 59.0 from Pro Football Focus last season and a 59.8 overall mark in 2020. Prior to that, his lowest grade had been 67.0 in 2019. While his contract coupled with his lack of production make him an unlikely trade chip, one prominent league insider says his is a name to keep an eye on.

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Insider Hints Jackson Could Be Available

In his March 14 MMQB column for Sports Illustrated, NFL insider Albert Breer dropped an interesting nugget about the Bears.

“As for the Bears, with the trade of Mack and the release of Eddie Goldman, it’s pretty clear that GM Ryan Poles saw the window for an aging defense closing and didn’t want to wait around for it to slam shut in his face,” Breer wrote, adding: “If I’m another team, it might be worth calling and seeing about the availability of a guy like Eddie Jackson.”

It sounds like Breer may have gotten information suggesting the Bears would be willing to shop Jackson to interested buyers, and another analyst close to the team thinks only a few players in Chicago are safe.

“If Poles will trade Mack before his first springtime in Chicago, who else could be next,” David Haugh of 670 The Score wondered. “Could 31-year-old record-setter Robert Quinn bring a similar haul of draft picks? Is safety Eddie Jackson and his $15 million salary-cap hit worth keeping or worth more to the Bears in a trade? Plenty more questions will be answered in the coming days and weeks. Only linebacker Roquan Smith and cornerback Jaylon Johnson should feel secure about their spots in the Bears defense.”

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Dead Cap Money From Jackson’s Deal Is Going to Hurt Bears Either Way

According to Over the Cap, Jackson’s contract has a $18,560,000 dead cap hit in 2022 and a $9,570,000 dead cap hit in 2023. Those numbers represent a possible pre-June 1 trade or release, however. If Jackson were traded or outright released after June 1 of this year, the Bears would still have $8,990,000 in dead money on the books, but they would also see $6.1 million added to their cap if that happened. Releasing him before that would actually result in a $3.47 million cap hit.

After an All-Pro season in 2018 that saw Jackson amass a career-high 15 passes defensed in addition to 51 tackles, 1.0 sacks, a fumble recovery, 6.0 interceptions and a league-leading three defensive scores, Jackson has seen his production fall off. He has failed to intercept a pass in each of the last two seasons, and has just two interceptions over the last three years after hauling in six picks in 2018.

It’s unclear whether Jackson will have any takers, but it is clear that Poles is making it a priority to unload the team’s heftiest contracts, and with Goldman, Cohen and Mack now gone, it wouldn’t be a surprise if Jackson followed. Stay tuned.

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