Sources: Bears getting lineman Jonah Jackson from Rams
CHICAGO — The overhaul of the Bears’ offensive line began just over a week before the start of the NFL’s free agency period. The Bears are in the process of sending a 2025 sixth-round pick to the Los Angeles Rams in exchange for guard Jonah Jackson, multiple sources told ESPN.
The trade cannot be processed until the start of the new league year on March 12.
Jackson, 28, has started 61 games over five NFL seasons, which included a Pro Bowl campaign in 2021. He has predominantly played at left guard since being drafted by the Detroit Lions, where he played for new Bears coach Ben Johnson for three seasons.
Jackson, who signed a three-year, $51 million contract with the Rams in March 2024, is scheduled to make $17.5 million in salary during the 2025 season. Chicago is taking on the entirety of Jackson’s salary as part of the trade, a source told ESPN’s Adam Schefter.
A shoulder injury limited Jackson to four games last season where he took snaps at left guard, center and right guard. He missed most of training camp after sustaining the injury in late July and returned for the start of the regular season before aggravating his shoulder in Week 2 and landing on injured reserve. Jackson played in one game after returning from IR and then was benched.
In his end-of-season news conference, Rams head coach Sean McVay said he really appreciated how professionally Jackson handled his 2024 season in Los Angeles.
“I really appreciate Jonah on how he handled [the situation],” McVay said in January. “A starting-level player … there are a lot of teams that would love to have Jonah Jackson at guard. … He put the team first in terms of just showing up, going to work and being a really good ‘scout teamer.'”
Chicago’s offensive line is a major area of focus this offseason with three primary starters — left guard Teven Jenkins, center Coleman Shelton and right guard Matt Pryor — set to hit free agency. Quarterback Caleb Williams was sacked a league-high 68 times during his rookie season, which has prompted a push for the Bears to address multiple needs up front.
Last week at the NFL combine, Johnson addressed the possibility that the Bears could flip the entire interior of the offensive line in one offseason.
“Yeah, I think it’s been done before, right?” Johnson said. “I mean, there are a number of teams that did that last year. The Panthers come to mind when they went out in free agency and got a couple of top guards, really changed the dynamic of their offense. You saw them clicking there in the second half of the season once they really started to gel. There’s no question that you can change the dynamic of the room just like that. That particular room, it does take time for five guys to come together. Especially if you have to deal with attrition and injuries for five guys to be working on the same page.”
Jackson was given permission to seek a trade last week, a source confirmed to ESPN. Prior to joining the Rams last offseason, Jackson logged 57 starts for Detroit from 2020-23.
ESPN’s Sarah Barshop contributed to this story.
SEATTLE — The Seahawks on Tuesday announced the releases of outside linebacker Dre’Mont Jones, defensive tackle Roy Robertson-Harris, safety Rayshawn Jenkins and offensive tackle George Fant — anticipated moves that combine to save the team roughly $27 million in cap space.
And that may only be the start of their pre-free-agency salary purge, with signs pointing to wide receiver Tyler Lockett likely being released later this week barring an unexpected restructure of his contract.
Jones is the most significant of the four cuts Seattle announced Tuesday.
Not known as big spenders in free agency, the Seahawks made an out-of-character splurge to sign Jones in March of 2023, and it didn’t pan out. He didn’t miss a game in two seasons, but with only 8.5 sacks and 12 tackles for loss in that span, he didn’t have the impact that was expected when Seattle made him the priciest free agent addition in franchise history with a three-year, $51.53 million deal.
After playing both defensive tackle and end in 2023, Jones, 28, dropped weight to play more of an outside linebacker role in Mike Macdonald’s defense last year. The Seahawks hoped Macdonald’s penchant for moving around defenders up front would help unlock Jones, but he played predominantly on the edge and recorded 4.0 sacks while dealing with a shoulder injury for much of the year.
Jones was set to make $16.51 million in 2025, none of which was guaranteed. If the Seahawks are making him a standard release, the move will save $11.57 million in cap space and come with a dead cap charge of $14.1 million.
The Seahawks acquired Robertson-Harris, 31, last October in a trade with the Jacksonville Jaguars, giving up a 2026 sixth-round pick in order to improve the depth along their defensive line. He finished with zero sacks and one tackle for loss in 11 games with Seattle as his playing time diminished significantly in November and December.
Robertson-Harris was set to make a non-guaranteed $6.6 million in 2025. The Seahawks will save that amount in cap space with his release, which leaves behind no dead money.
Jenkins joined the Seahawks last March on a two-year, $12 million deal to start alongside Julian Love. He missed four games in the middle of the season with a left hand injury and was replaced by Coby Bryant, whose emergence relegated Jenkins to the No. 3 safety role upon his return from injured reserve.
The Seahawks gave Jenkins, 31, permission to seek a trade, but nothing materialized. He was set to make a non-guaranteed $5.4 million in 2025. His release saves Seattle $5.28 million in cap space while leaving behind $2.5 million in dead money.
The Seahawks got only 30 snaps out of Fant after signing him to a two-year, $9.1 million deal last March as a hedge at right tackle with Abe Lucas coming off knee surgery. Fant, 32, hurt his knee in the opener then aggravated the injury when he came back in November, sidelining him for the rest of the season.
Fant was set to make a non-guaranteed $3.8 million in 2025. With his release, the Seahawks will save that amount against the cap while taking on $1.85 million in dead money.
Before Tuesday’s cuts, the Seahawks were around $6.8 million over the 2025 spending limit, according to OverTheCap. More moves are likely coming before the start of free agency next week.
With Lockett and the Seahawks apparently headed for a split, the team has been discussing a reworked deal with Uchenna Nwosu that would lower the outside linebacker’s $21.17 million cap charge.
The Seahawks also had preliminary discussions with Geno Smith’s agent at the combine about a new deal. General manager John Schneider told reporters in Indianapolis that they hope to extend the veteran quarterback — which would lower his $44.5 million cap charge — though it’s not clear if that will happen before the start of free agency.
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Report: Rams to trade Jonah Jackson to Bears
The Rams have found a trade partner for offensive lineman Jonah Jackson.
Per Courtney Cronin of ESPN, Los Angeles has agreed to trade Jackson to Chicago in exchange for a sixth-round pick in 2025.
The deal cannot become official until the start of the new league year next week.
Jackson, 28, signed a three-year, $51 million deal with the Rams in free agency last season. But after suffering an injury early in the season, Jackson was benched once he was healthy to keep the Rams’ starting five up front more consistent.
It was reported last week that L.A. had given Jackson permission to seek a trade.
Jackson started a total of four games in 2024, including the team’s Week 18 game where head coach Sean McVay elected to rest most starters.
The Lions selected Jackson in the third round of the 2020 draft. He was a Pro Bowler in 2021 after starting 16 games at guard that season.
Per ESPN’s Adam Schefter, the Bears will take on Jackson’s full contract. He is slated to make $17.5 million total in 2025 and will also be under contract in 2026.
With the trade, the Bears have addressed a key need along their offensive line before the start of free agency.
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Report: Former Lions G Jonah Jackson being traded to NFC North
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Former Lions Pro Bowl guard Jonah Jackson is headed to the Chicago Bears after one down year with the Rams.
Last week, it was reported the Los Angeles Rams were looking to trade guard Jonah Jackson just one year after signing him away from the Detroit Lions in free agency. It appears they have already found a trade partner, as the Chicago Bears are finalizing a deal that would send a sixth-round pick to the Rams for Jackson.
That would bring Jackson back to the NFC North and reunite him with former Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson, who is now the head coach for the Bears.
In 2024, Jackson signed a three-year, $51 million contract with the Rams, but he never found his way in Los Angeles. He struggled through injury during the preseason, couldn’t stick when they moved him to center, and eventually just became a weekly inactive. Jackson finishes his Rams career having played in just four games.
The Bears are in need of some offensive line help and Johnson will know exactly how to play to Jackson’s strengths. The key for Chicago is whether they will be getting a healthy Jonah Jackson. In 2023, he missed five games for the Lions. In 2022, it was four games. That said, when healthy, Jackson is a strong offensive lineman, even making the Pro Bowl in 2021.
Per Adam Schefter, the Bears will be taking on the entirety of Jackson’s contract, which includes a $17.5 million salary for the 2025 season.
The trade cannot be made official until the start of the new league year, which is next Wednesday, March 12 at 4 p.m. ET.
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