Should the Chicago Bears cut Eddie Jackson this offseason?
The Chicago Bears have a lot of tough decisions to make on their roster over the next couple of months. They will be letting a lot of free agents walk but also trying to retain some of their own. They will be working out extensions with players on the roster but also potentially cutting players with contracts that are too heavy. One name that stands out is Eddie Jackson.
The Chicago Bears have an issue with Eddie Jackson and his contract
Jackson currently has a $18.14M cap this year. That comes with just $5.58 in dead money, so the Bears could cut Jackson, eat the dead money, and save roughly $12.6M towards the salary cap next year. For Jackson to be worth the nearly $13M cap hit, they need to make sure he is worth it. Right now, that can be debatable.
The biggest issue with Jackson comes back to health. Jackson has missed five games in each of the past two years. Considering he will be 31 next year, it is hard to think that he will get back to full health for the entire year, or at least not at the level of play that is worth his value.
When he is on the field, he is still a good, quality safety. However, when the Chicago Bears signed him he was one of the best safeties in the NFL, and he simply has not been that in the past couple of seasons.
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The Chicago Bears would like to bring Jackson back, but the price tag does not fit the issues we have seen in recent years. If the team comes to him with an extension offer that keeps him with the team at a reduced cost, would he take it? He would stay in the defense he knows and keep his role. Who knows what is out there for him on the market?
Eddie Jackson may get cut, but there is still a chance he will return on the restructured contract.