The Chicago Bears are in the midst of a seemingly endless rebuild. At this point, they seem to be trying to balance planning for the future while also building for the now. The Montez Sweat extension is an indicator of this. However, reports from sources in the organization say that the team will likely move on from veteran safety Eddie Jackson after the season.
According to sources inside the organization, the #Bears do not plan on retaining the services of veteran safety Eddie Jackson following the 2023 #NFL season, per myself and @ThirdDownThurs.
Cutting Jackson would save Chicago about $12M in cap space. pic.twitter.com/VmYLb92wHM
— MJ Hurley (@mjhurleytdt) November 6, 2023
Report: Chicago Bears Will Cut Eddie Jackson After The Season
It seems to have very little to do with Jackson’s play. Like so many decisions on veterans in the NFL, it all comes down to the salary cap. Cutting Jackson would save the team about $12 million. That is valuable cap space to try and sign some of the other younger players or bring in a big-name free agent. It always hurts to lose a veteran because of the locker room presence and the steady hand on the field. However, this happens all the time in the NFL and is probably the right choice for the organization.
What Do The Bears Do Long Term?
The signing of Sweat gives the Bears a solid start on the defensive line something they have been lacking for the past couple of years. The biggest question is what the team does with the quarterback position. Just as Justin Fields was maybe starting to show some consistency, he went out with a thumb injury. With the likelihood of a couple of top draft picks being very high, I would expect the Bears to try and find another quarterback instead of Fields.
It will hurt for the Chicago Bears to lose Eddie Jackson but it is probably necessary for the rebuild. Hopefully, the team can get it right this time and finally compete in the NFC.