Jan 13, 2025; Glendale, AZ, USA; Los Angeles Rams guard Jonah Jackson (72) against the Minnesota Vikings during an NFC wild card game at State Farm Stadium.

nfl

Bears Prioritizing Offensive Line Issues With Trade For Jonah Jackson

Bears make a big statement by signing top guard!

Jan 13, 2025; Glendale, AZ, USA; Los Angeles Rams guard Jonah Jackson (72) against the Minnesota Vikings during an NFC wild card game at State Farm Stadium.

The Chicago Bears are acting quickly in order to fix one of the biggest issues they faced last season, which was their offensive line. Despite the hype of drafting Caleb Williams with the number one overall pick, and adding plenty of talent around him, the Bears were unable to protect their rookie signal caller, resulting in 68 sacks which was the highest by far in the league.

To address this concern, general manager Ryan Poles and the Bears have already made their first move by trading for guard Jonah Jackson, who should be a valuable addition to Chicago’s O-line. This move not only brings a top quality offensive lineman to the Windy City, but it also reunites him with his former offensive coordinator at Detroit, Ben Johnson. Jackson and Johnson worked together for four years in Detroit, so they have a fairly good understanding of one another.

How Does This Move Help Chicago?

What the Bears are getting from this trade is a highly talented blocker up front who can play both guard positions as well as the center if required. Jackson, a former round 3 pick from the 2020 draft class, was selected to a Pro Bowl in 2021 and has since been a huge asset barring his lone season with the Los Angeles Rams in 2024.

Also Read: Justin Jefferson doesn’t care who throws him the ball

Unfortunately for Jackson and the Rams, the plan didn’t work out the way they hoped it would. After playing the first four years of his professional career with the Lions, Detroit was unable to extend him and Jackson signed a three-year $51 million deal with the Rams last season, making him the 7th highest earning guard in the league. Jackson started off the season with a shoulder injury and rarely took the field even after recovery as he was benched by L.A. He was then going to play center, but that move also didn’t pan out.

Jonah Jackson is scheduled to make $17.5 million in salary this season, and the Bears are taking on his contract, per source. Rams don’t retain any of Jackson’s salary. https://t.co/N1SVnXXoDm
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) March 4, 2025

However, the bright side to all this is that the 2024 season was a one-off injury-ridden season but Jackson has been one of the better interior linemen up until that point. Furthermore, Chicago didn’t really lose anything in this trade as it is reported that the Bears will be sending just a single round 6 pick to the Rams from the upcoming 2025 draft in exchange for Jackson.

By the time this deal is made official, the Rams will have spent $25.5 million of Jackson’s $51 million contract. Chicago on the other hand will have to pay him $17.5 million for 2025 but he has a potential out in 2026 in case he doesn’t perform to expectations.

Chicago Bears

jonah jackson

Los Angeles Rams

NFL

Devavrat Kulkarni

nfl

I am a content writer for the NFL team, and joined The Playoffs after working with Sportskeeda and NFL Analysis as an NFL writer. After starting my professional career as a French-to-English translator, working as a content writer is a new adventure for me. I started out in the sports media field for two main reasons: my love for sports in general, especially the NFL, NBA, and Tennis, as well as my passion for writing. The best part of this job is that I get to write a variety of pieces with the freedom to explore content from various angles. It also enables me to stay up to date with the sporting world, which otherwise can be difficult to do in the day-to-day grind. In a world full of chaos, sports unite and entertain like nothing else!