Bears Free Agent Profile: D’Marco Jackson will quickly become a higher priority after an expected move Chicago will make soon
D’Marco Jackson earned himself a role in Chicago after reuniting with DC Dennis Allen.
The NFL free agency window is getting closer and closer and the Chicago Bears are set to be an exciting team to watch when the madness begins. Before it gets to that point, the Bears have to first weigh the pros and cons of re-signing the 22 players set to become unrestricted free agents.
Not every player will be able to return and some are expected to be out of the Bears’ price range entirely. Some players currently on the roster also hold a high price tag for 2026 that might get wiped off the books via a release. The likely cap casualty for Chicago would be starting linebacker Tremaine Edmunds and doing so would push one pending free agent up the priority list to re-sign.
LB D’Marco Jackson
Position: Inside linebacker
Age for 2026 season: 28
Incoming NFL year: 4
Previous AAV: $1.1 million
2026 Snap %: 26% on defense and 63% on ST
D’Marco Jackson was a fifth-round draft pick by the New Orleans Saints in the 2022 NFL Draft, a decision made by then head coach Dennis Allen. After missing his rookie year, Jackson played all 17 games in his second year logging 384 snaps on special teams but just four defensive snaps. That number increased to 66 defensive snaps during his third season, the same year Allen was fired.
Ahead of the 2025 season, Jackson was waived by the Saints and claimed off waivers by the Bears to re-unite with Allen to add depth on special teams and at linebacker. Jackson went on to start four games with 16 appearances and was even named NFC Defensive Player of the Week in Week 15 after recording seven tackles, two passes defensed, a sack and an interception.
His play received plenty of praise from his defensive coordinator and former head coach multiple times throughout the season. The Bears have uncertainty at the position with Edmunds being a cap casualty along with T.J. Edwards and Noah Sewell currently recovering from season-ending injuries. Running it back with Jackson on a pay raise seems inevitable, but what kind of raise will he get?
Contract History and Projection
Jackson certainly made some money for himself this past season with the Bears after getting released by the New Orleans Saints in August and signing in Chicago on a vet minimum deal. He proved in the right scheme he can be a fringe-starter on defense with solid special teams value. Here’s what some of the similar style linebackers got on the open market last offseason.
- Christian Elliss: two-year, $13.5 million
- Eric Wilson: one-year, $2.6 million
- Christian Rozeboom: one-year, $2.5 million
- Troy Dye: two-year, $5.5 million
- Malik Harrison: two-year, $10 million
These contracts set a nice base range for Jackson’s negotiations between $3-6 million per year. Elliss was a clear outlier year re-signing with New England for $6.75 million a year despite starting six total games during his first four years but he went on to start 13 games for the Patriots and appear in 15 this past season. Given his small sample size of play as a starting linebacker, it’d be really surprising to see Jackson reach over $6 million per year.
Prediction
Given that value, re-signing would be in the best interest for Jackson and the Bears given the team’s eventual need at the linebacker position and his familiarity playing under Dennis Allen. If the Bears can lock him up on a two-year deal at under $5 million a year, that’d be really good value for Chicago.
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