Bears make first aggressive move to rebuild the offensive line by trading for a former Pro Bowler with ties to Ben Johnson
A deal that made all the sense in the world is starting to get finalized between the Chicago Bears and the Los Angeles Rams after what we heard at the 2025 Combine.Bears general manager Ryan Poles noted he plans to be aggressive in adding talent to the roster this offseason stressed not holding back if […]
A deal that made all the sense in the world is starting to get finalized between the Chicago Bears and the Los Angeles Rams after what we heard at the 2025 Combine.
Bears general manager Ryan Poles noted he plans to be aggressive in adding talent to the roster this offseason stressed not holding back if a player checked all the boxes.
Well, just a few days after making those statements, Poles is making another pre-draft trade up-front. According to ESPN's Courtney Cronin, the Bears will be acquiring left guard Jonah Jackson from the Rams in exchange for the team's 2025 sixth-round pick.
During the Combine, the Rams gave Jackson permission to seek a trade, one year into a 3 year, $51 million contract he signed last offseason. Jackson suffered a shoulder injury during training camp and was later benched during the season once returning.
The Rams were pleased with the starting five that opened up without him and will be rocking with that unit going forward, while still getting something in return for Jackson.
This was a smart move to make by the Bears for multiple reasons. First, the addition of Jackson lessens the need at left guard, one of the three starting positions that needed to be addressed this offseason. Second, Jackson will reunite with Ben Johnson, after previously being drafted by the Detroit Lions and playing four years there prior to signing with the Rams.
In his second season in 2021, Jackson was named to the Pro Bowl after starting all 16 games. However, injuries derailed his final two years in Detroit, leading him to land the lucrative deal with the Rams.
As far as that lucrative deal goes, ESPN Insider Adam Schefter added that the Bears will be taking on his contract, meaning the Rams won't pay for any of his salary. Jackson is scheduled to make $17.5 million in 2025, but could rework the deal with the Bears.
The current deal will include a fully-guaranteed $8.5 million roster bonus with a base salary of $9 million in 2025 and then $17 million, which is non-guaranteed, in 2026.
This will be the first of many splashes to come for the Bears looking to revamp the offensive line in front of Caleb Williams, and this was a strong first move to make.
Bears 2025 Mock Offseason: Predicting the team’s free agent signings, trades, and draft picks after what we learned at the NFL Combine
Chicago will be aggressive this offseason.
