NFL free agency isn't about trying to add the biggest and best names to your roster, it's about supplementing a roster through efficient, effective signings and leaving the big paydays to the players that were drafted by their respective teams.

It can be hard to find good value at premium positions, though, simply because they're premium positions. Teams are likely to overpay on a nearly-guaranteed basis because these positions are most crucial to overall success. 

But, sometimes a player finds himself as the exception and that's the case with Los Angeles Rams left tackle Alaric Jackson.

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Alaric Jackson could be one of free agency's best values, period, but especially at left tackle

Unless you're a Rams fan or a diehard, Jackson is one of the most overlooked players in the NFL. He's gotten better in all four of his NFL seasons, with his best year yet occurring in 2024. He's solid in both pass protection and run blocking and he's entering his prime. Currently Jackson is 26-years-old and won't turn 27 until later in the year.

The key part is the last sentence. He's entering his prime and his ceiling is expanding, which is exactly what NFL teams want when looking at a free agent. The best part for Jackson is Sean McVay's coaching tree has spread far and wide throughout the NFL and a lot of offenses fit Jackson's skillset and talents. 

Jackson is an above-average-to-good run blocker who has improved in pass pro with the Rams. He's not an elite athlete who can handle elite pass rushers in pass pro, but he's at least average in that realm, now. He has good overall play strength and his technique has improved with the Rams. Not a top-10 guy, but I'd say around league-average or so. – A.J. Schulte, A to Z Sports

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Somehow, Jackson's market projections are at a value that's rarely seen for a solid left tackle

This is where things get interesting. Spotrac projects Jackson to get a deal worth $16 million per year. Pro Football Focus projects a deal worth $14.5 million per year and NFL cap analysts Josh Queipo and Kyle DeDiminicantanio project him to sign a deal worth $10 million per year.

PFF ranked Jackson as the 20th-best tackle (both left and right) in 2024. If he were to sign their projected deal of $14.5 million, he'd come in at 28th out of all tackles when it comes to average annual value. He would be the league's 15th highest-paid left tackle specifically.

$16 million per year would put him at 26th out of all tackles and $10 million would place him at 33rd, just above rookie Joe Alt. It's easy to see why this is a major value – all of the salaries are below his current status as a player and it doesn't account for the current trajectory that he's on, honestly. Case in point: The top-10 highest-paid left tackles currently make a little more than $23.1 million per year.

The team that signs Jackson could see him outperform his contract as quickly as Year 1, as long as he continues to develop like he did in 2024. 

Jackson is steady as both a run-blocker and pass-protector. His 22 QB pressures allowed in 2024 matched the likes of Dion Dawkins in Buffalo, per Pro Football Focus. Jackson's positive run-blocking from the left side also aided L.A.'s vital rushing attack. If my choices are to spend around $15 million for a still-developing 26-year-old blind-side blocker or $20 million-plus for an over-30 injury-prone option, give me the former. – Kevin Patra, NFL.com

Again, it's hard to find this kind of value at a position such as Jackson's, but alas, here we are. And it's going to be very interesting to see how much he ultimately makes.

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Prediciton

The Rams have more than $44 million in cap space and they should free up more room through a potential Cooper Kupp trade and a Matthew Stafford restructure. Either way, they have enough money to re-sign Jackson. That, along with the fact that Joe Noteboom is also an impending free agent, tell me that the soon-to-be fifth-year player stays in LA for 2025, at least. It won't be easy, but they'll get it done.

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