Chicago Bears to acquire Pro Bowl guard in trade with Los Angeles Rams | Report
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The Chicago Bears have reportedly made a move to bolster their offensive line.
The Bears have traded a 2025 sixth-round pick to the Los Angeles Rams for guard Jonah Jackson, according to ESPN.
Jackson, a third-round pick by the Detroit Lions out of Ohio State in 2020, has started every game he's played in throughout his NFL career.
The trade cannot be processed until March 12, which is the start of the new league year.
What to know about Jonah Jackson
Jackson was a Pro Bowl guard in the 2021 season for the Lions, where he overlapped with Bears head coach Ben Johnson.
In Detroit, Jackson played 51 total games. Of those 51 games, 40 were at left guard.
After four seasons in Detroit, Jackson moved to Los Angeles when he signed a three-year, $51 million contract Rams. He was named the Rams' starting center in Week 1, which was the first time he took snaps at center in his career.
However, his season was hampered by a fractured scapula in Week 2 and was placed on injured reserve on September 18, 2024.
Financially, the Bears are taking on all of Jackson's $51 million contract.
According to Sports Illustrated's Albert Breer, the Bears are taking on Jackson's contract as is, which includes a fully guaranteed $8.5 million roster bonus and $9 million base salary for 2025. In 2026, Jackson has $17 million non-guaranteed.
What this means for the Chicago Bears
Injury aside, Jackson fills a crucial piece on the Bears' offensive line. It's also the sign the Bears are wasting no time fixing their offensive trenches.
Plenty around the NFL Combine expected the Bears to make an aggressive run at free agent guard Trey Smith. The Kansas City Chiefs retained him by placing the franchise tag on him.
The Bears have pivoted, and pivoted fast, by acquiring a player who has familiarity with how the Bears' new-look offense could operate in terms of verbiage and how the staff wants to teach the offense to the rest of the offensive line.
Playing left guard in Detroit under Ben Johnson in 2022 and 2023, the Lions began their meteoric rise to the top of the NFC North, and then the top of the NFC.
The entire interior of the Bears' offensive line was vacant heading into this season, with Nate Davis being released while, Teven Jenkins, Coleman Shelton and Matt Pryor were all free agents.
Adding Jackson fills one of those spots, most likely left guard. This could mean it's rather unlikely that Jenkins, a 2020 second-round pick out of Oklahoma State by the Bears, will return to Chicago.
Jackson's acquisition immediately improves the offensive line, which needed an influx of talent and a major overhaul after allowing 68 sacks in the 2024 season. The Bears will almost certainly add to the unit in free agency and the draft, too.
Bringing Jackson into the fold, who has experience with Johnson, is a first step in the right direction. The Bears have the cap space to make the addition, and Jackson is a player that can lock in the left guard position for the two remaining years of his contract.