Jonah Jackson

NFC North Notes: Bears, Lions, Kelly, Pack

March 20th, 2025 at 10:50am CST by Sam Robinson

Prior to the Bears agreeing to re-sign Travis Homer, they considered a veteran with ties to Ryan Poles and new running backs coach Eric Bieniemy. Chicago considered Kareem Hunt in free agency, ESPN.com’s Jeremy Fowler tweets. Poles and Bieniemy were with the Chiefs when they drafted Hunt in the 2017 third round, with the current Bears GM serving as Kansas City’s college scouting director at that point. Hunt won a rushing title as a rookie and was off to a better start in 2018, when a video of him kicking a woman led to his initial Kansas City ouster. The Chiefs circled back to Hunt six years later, after an Isiah Pacheco injury, and have since re-signed him. The Bears still have Homer and Roschon Johnson behind starter D’Andre Swift, who joins Jonah Jackson in reuniting with Ben Johnson.

Here is the latest from the NFC North:

On the subject of Jackson, he is set to play right guard next season, per the Chicago Tribune’s Brad Biggs. Jackson started four seasons at left guard in Detroit, but he will end up deferring to Joe Thuney, who landed as the All-Pro first team’s left guard in back-to-back seasons. The older of the Bears’ two guard trade pickups is in a contract year, Thuney gave no clues about a potential extension (via ESPN.com’s Courtney Cronin). Keeping with the reunion theme, Thuney signed with the Chiefs when Poles was still on Brett Veach‘s staff.
Losing durable veteran Kevin Zeitler to the Titans, the Lions appear in need at guard. Graham Glasgow remains, but the Detroit Free Press’ Dave Birkett expects the team to add another starter-level option at the position. This could come in free agency or the draft. A few free agency options are available. Brandon Scherff, Dalton Risner, Cody Whitehair, Will Hernandez and Andrus Peat are among the top veteran options. Teven Jenkins is the leader in this clubhouse right now, and it will be interesting to see where the three-year Bears starter lands. Early in free agency, Jenkins had set a high price. Christian Mahogany, a 2024 sixth-round pick, looks to be in position to still compete for the job Zeitler held last season, Birkett adds.
The Vikings paid a high price for Will Fries but landed ex-Colts center Ryan Kelly on a mid-market deal. Kelly agreed to a two-year, $18MM contract that comes with $9.15MM guaranteed. No part of Kelly’s $7.89MM 2026 base salary is guaranteed, KPRC2’s Aaron Wilson notes, giving Minnesota some flexibility on the soon-to-be 32-year-old center. The Vikings would carry no dead money if they cut Kelly next year. Elsewhere on Minnesota’s cap sheet, DB Tavierre Thomas‘ deal comes in at one year and $2MM, Wilson adds. The former Browns, Texans and Buccaneers defender commanded a $1MM guarantee.
Marcus Davenport‘s second shot at becoming a regular Lions contributor will include a pay cut. Reported as signing a deal worth up to $4.75MM, Davenport will be tied to $2.5MM in base value, via OverTheCap. Of that total, $1.65MM is guaranteed. The Lions are guaranteeing Davenport’s $1.35MM base salary, per Wilson, which would leave them with a near-$2MM dead money hit if they moved on. Davenport has missed 28 games over the past two seasons. Roy Lopez‘s “up to” report checked in at $4.75MM; the actual value of the Lions DT’s contract (via Wilson): $3.5MM.
The Lions also brought in former Bills tight end Quintin Morris on a free agency visit this week, FOX Sports’ Jordan Schultz notes. Buffalo did not tender Morris as an RFA, passing on a $3.26MM price to retain its primary blocking tight end. The Lions matched a 49ers RFA offer sheet for Brock Wright last year; two years remain on Wright’s deal. Morris, 26, played 214 offensive snaps for the Bills last season.
Isaiah McDuffie‘s two-year, $8MM Packers pact does not bring any 2026 guarantees, though ESPN.com’s Rob Demovsky indicates it carries a $750K roster bonus next year. Guaranteeing the 2024 linebacker starter $2.25MM, the Packers can move on for barely $1MM in dead money after the 2025 season.

Bears Extend OL Jonah Jackson

March 13th, 2025 at 7:25pm CST by Ben Levine

Jonah Jackson was traded to the Bears last week, and the lineman earned an extension along the way. According to NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo, Jackson got a one-year extension that will keep him in Chicago through the 2027 season.

Besides handing Jackson a contract for the 2027 campaign, Garafolo notes that the Bears also guaranteed more of the player’s 2026 salary. This includes $7MM fully guaranteed and an additional $5.25MM for injury. Jackson is set to earn all of the $17.5MM he was attached to in 2025, part of the three-year, $51MM pact he signed with the Rams last offseason.

Jackson has clearly landed on his feet following a forgettable stop in Los Angeles. There were high hopes for the free agent acquisition, but he quickly landed on IR with a fractured scapula. When he returned, he saw time at both guard and center, but he was eventually benched towards the middle of the season. The Rams quickly looked to move on from the veteran, as the organization granted him permission to seek a trade.

Ben Johnson is more than familiar with the former Lions standout, and the new Bears head coach is showing his faith in the trade acquisition. The team was expected to actively seek reinforcement along the interior of the O-line, and it’s no surprise that the organization landed on a player who’s familiar with Johnson’s offensive approach.

Assuming Jackson returns to his former production, the Bears will be more than happy with their good-faith extension. Jackson started all 57 of his appearances with Detroit, including 2020 and 2021 campaigns where he topped 1,000 offensive snaps. He’s been hit by injuries in each of the past few seasons, but the Bears are clearly hoping he’s past his injury woes.

Rams, Bears Agree To Jonah Jackson Trade

March 4th, 2025 at 11:03pm CST by Adam La Rose

Jonah Jackson played only one season with the Rams, and his time in Los Angeles is set to come to an end. A trade agreement is in place which will see the veteran offensive lineman join the Bears.

Chicago is set to send Los Angeles a 2025 sixth-round pick in exchange for Jackson, ESPN’s Courtney Cronin reports. This deal will allow for a reunion between Jackson and Bears head coach Ben Johnson. The pair previously worked together in Detroit.

Expectations were high upon arrival for Jackson when he inked a three-year, $51MM free agent deal last spring. The former Pro Bowler was a key figure in the team’s efforts to shore up the interior of its offensive line. After seeing time at guard and center (while also dealing with a shoulder injury), though, Jackson was benched midway through the campaign. To no surprise, he was recently granted permission to seek a trade.

Jackson has a 2025 cap hit of $17.5MM for 2025, a figure which hindered his market and helps explain the limited return in the trade (which can become official as early as next week when the new league year begins). The Bears will take on the remainder of his compensation, Jourdan Rodrigue of The Athletic reports. With no financial adjustments taking place, Jackson will be owed a $9MM base salary next season; he is also due an $8.5MM roster bonus next week.

The Bears’ offensive line has faced question marks at every spot other than right tackle this offseason. The interior of the unit in particular has often been named as the subject of interest from Chicago. Prior to the news of this deal, ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler wrote the Bears were expected to make at least one addition along the interior of the O-line during free agency. It will be interesting to see if that will still be the case in the wake of this Jackson addition.

Chicago entered Tuesday with roughly $79MM in cap space, so there will still be resources to make a notable splash on the open market. The Bears could, of course, also look to retain one or more of pending free agents Teven Jenkins, Coleman Shelton and Matt Pryor as part of their plans up front. In any case, Jackson will be tasked with occupying a first-team role on his new team. The 28-year-old has experience at center, but for much of his career he has operated at left guard.

Jackson has started all 57 of his career games, and on two occasions he has surpassed 1,000 snaps in a season. If the Ohio State product can remain available during the year and provide consistent play wherever he winds up playing, he will prove to be an effective addition for the Bears.

Rams Letting Jonah Jackson Seek Trade

February 26th, 2025 at 3:31pm CST by Sam Robinson

Although other offseason storylines are taking shape, 2025 has featured a number of teams giving players permission to shop around. The Rams serve as the headquarters for this tactic, with disappointing free agency addition Jonah Jackson the latest player the team will allow to speak with other teams.

The Rams benched Jackson last season, doing so despite signing him to a three-year, $51MM deal in free agency. They are now giving the guard/short-lived center a green light to look elsewhere, ESPN.com’s Jeremy Fowler reports.

This might not be the easiest task, as the Rams benched Jackson to use a sixth-round rookie (Beaux Limmer) in their lineup. The team had signed Jackson, triggering a Steve Avila position change. By season’s end, Avila was back at guard opposite the retained Kevin Dotson. Jackson would not seem to have a place on the 2025 Los Angeles roster, beyond overpriced backup, so the Rams will see if they can convince a team to take his contract.

A key date here looms March 12, at the start of the 2025 league year. Jackson will see $8.5MM of his 2025 base salary become guaranteed, Fowler adds. The Rams likely needed to agree to the advanced guarantee date due to the interest the four-year Lions starter garnered in free agency. Jackson finished as last year’s guard-heavy class’ second-highest-paid player at the position — behind only Robert Hunt‘s five-year, $100MM Panthers pact. (The Patriots’ Michael Onwenu did land between the two, AAV-wise, but he continues to rove between guard and tackle.)

The Rams shuttled Jackson from guard to center, after shuttling Avila back to guard during a complicated season up front. Limmer, however, emerged from lottery ticket to starter. The Rams used one of their IR activations on Jackson in mid-November but benched him one game into his return. Jackson’s fourth start did not come until Week 18, when Sean McVay benched many key starters to rest them for the playoffs. In Jackson’s defense, he battled shoulder trouble for a while. A shoulder injury sidelined Jackson for weeks during training camp, and he sustained a fractured scapula in Week 2.

If no trade partner emerges, the Rams would be forced to strongly consider admitting defeat and releasing the five-year vet. If the Rams cut Jackson, they would eat $11.3MM in dead money. This trade news comes after the Rams have let Cooper Kupp know they are not planning to bring him back. More significantly, of course, the Rams have let Matthew Stafford shop around — as the QB and his current team haggle over a new contract.

Jackson, 28, operated as the Lions’ LG starter for the duration of his rookie contract. The former third-round pick drew late Lions interest, but the team backed out when it learned how high the bidding ran. It would stand to reason that a Lions team that also found success re-signing Graham Glasgow at a cheaper rate would look back into Jackson — especially with Kevin Zeitler again a free agent. A Bears team that hired Ben Johnson would seemingly look into Jackson as well. But the Rams would likely either need to eat some of Jackson’s salary — as they are willing to do with Kupp — or accept a low-end return in a trade to move on without outright releasing the experienced blocker.

Rams Activate Steve Avila, Jonah Jackson

November 11th, 2024 at 3:27pm CST by Adam La Rose

As expected, Steve Avila and Jonah Jackson have been activated from injured reserve. Both starting offensive linemen are thus in line to play for the Rams tonight.

Avila suffered an MCL sprain in Week 1, forcing him onto IR right away. Jackson managed to make it through his Rams debut that week, but during the following contest he went down with a shoulder injury which also led to a lengthy period on the sidelines. Getting both back will be a signficant and welcomed development as the Rams look to field a consistent unit up front.

Avila worked at left guard during his rookie campaign, and at times this offseason it appeared he was on track to move over to center in Year 2. That role was given to Jackson, however, with the free agent addition’s placement in the middle allowing Avila and Kevin Dotson to remain in place at guard. Jackson was added on a three-year pact including $25.5MM in guarantees. His ability to remain healthy now that he is back in the fold will be crucial for Los Angeles up front.

The tackle spot has also seen plenty of shuffling this year for the team. Alaric Jackson was suspended for the first two games of the year, and Joe Noteboom has been limited to one game so far. The latter was activated last week, paving the way for him to suit up tonight as well. Right tackle starter Rob Havenstein is not expected to be available for Week 10, though, so the Rams will still not have their ideal lineup along the O-line against the Dolphins. Still, the unit’s health is in a much better place now than it has been for much of the year.

In a corresponding move, Logan Bruss has been waived. The 2022 third-rounder did not make any appearances during his first two seasons with Los Angeles, and even amidst the multiple injuries being dealt with up front this year he has made only three starts amongst eight appearances. Bruss will available for any interested teams on the waiver wire; if he clears, he will become a free agent and thus have the chance to re-join the Rams on a practice squad deal. Los Angeles now has one IR activation remaining for the year.

Rams To Activate OLs Steve Avila, Jonah Jackson

November 10th, 2024 at 9:00am CST by Nikhil Mehta

NOVEMBER 10: Both Avila and Jackson are expected to be activated off of IR and suit up against the Dolphins tomorrow night, per Stu Jackson of the team’s official website.

NOVEMBER 7: The Rams are one step closer to major reinforcements to their offensive line after opening the practice window for Steve Avila and Jonah Jackson to return from injured reserve.

Both players landed on IR in September, Avila with a sprained MCL that required surgery and Jackson with a broken scapula suffered in Week 2. Rookie Beaux Limmer has started the last seven games at center, while both Justin Dedich and Logan Bruss have stepped up at left guard.

The injuries to Avila and Jackson prevented the Rams from getting a solid look at their new-look offensive line. After drafting Avila with the 36th overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft, the Rams spent almost $100MM to sign Jackson in free agency and retain starting right guard Kevin Dotson in 2024. The trio played just 37 snaps together before Avila’s injury, though all three players are under contract through at least 2026 and will have plenty of time to gel.

Los Angeles is getting healthy at the right time after winning their last three games. Their star wideout duo of Cooper Kupp and Puka Nacua is back catching passes from Matthew Stafford, who will be playing behind his intended starting offensive line for the first time since Week 1.

Avila and Jackson both have 21 days to practice with the team before they must be added to the active roster or revert to season-ending IR.

Rams Place Jonah Jackson, John Johnson On IR; Cooper Kupp To Stay On Active Roster

September 19th, 2024 at 8:58am CST by Sam Robinson

SEPTEMBER 19: Kupp will be in a cast for the next week before beginning his rehab, McVay said, via The Athletic’s Jourdan Rodrigue (subscription required). He added the injury will not require surgery, which is another positive development. McVay also said a final decision on injured reserve has not been made yet in Kupp’s case, however, so he could still be shut down for notable stretch.

SEPTEMBER 18: This season is skidding off track quickly for a Rams team that carried higher expectations compared to 2023. More IR placements are on tap for Sean McVay‘s team.

Jonah Jackson and John Johnson are heading to IR, the team announced. Jackson joins O-linemen Steve Avila and Joe Noteboom on the injured list, with more injury trouble persisting on the team’s front beyond the IR crew.

That said, some good news has come out of this early-season bloodbath. Cooper Kupp is not currently viewed as an IR candidate, ESPN’s Adam Schefter tweets. Kupp is again battling an ankle injury. McVay had previously said Kupp was an IR candidate.

Previously the last man standing among Rams starters in terms of health and overall availability entering Week 2, Jackson aggravated the shoulder injury that sidelined him for much of training camp and the preseason. The free agency addition must now miss at least four games. Jackson must sit until at least Week 8, while Avila and Noteboom are out until at least Week 7. The Rams have their bye in Week 6. That suddenly looms as an important recovery period, despite it coming so early in the season.

The Rams gave Jackson a three-year, $51MM deal days after re-signing Kevin Dotson (three years, $48MM) to remain at right guard. A four-year Lions left guard starter, Jackson has bounced between LG and center early in his Rams tenure. But injuries have overshadowed the entire O-line’s work thus far. Dotson is playing through a sprained ankle.

Alaric Jackson‘s return from a two-game suspension will help a Rams team in crisis. That will give the team three of its five O-line starters available, with longtime RT Rob Havenstein returning in Week 2. But the team is battling injury issues at multiple spots. Johnson sustained a hairline scapula fracture and had loomed as an IR candidate. Re-signed to continue his second Rams stint in July, Johnson had started one game for a Rams team otherwise retooling at safety.

As the Rams’ O-line injury issues remind of their 2022 problems, Kupp’s most recent trouble is familiar as well. Kupp suffered a foot injury in October 2022 but then went down with a more significant ankle malady a month later. The All-Pro receiver underwent season-ending tightrope surgery to repair the issue, and while he returned in time for training camp in 2023, a hamstring issue delayed his debut last season.

Kupp has missed 13 games since his dominant 2021 season, stalling the crafty wideout in his early 30s. The Rams gave Kupp a big raise after his Super Bowl MVP showing — during an offseason in which the team paid Matthew Stafford and Aaron Donald — but have not seen much to justify it since.

Kupp, 31, does lead the NFL with 18 receptions through two games; that total came despite leaving the Rams’ Week 2 loss early. The team has Puka Nacua on IR as well, leaving the likes of Demarcus Robinson, Tutu Atwell and rookie Jordan Whittington as Stafford’s top targets.

Rams WR Cooper Kupp Candidate For IR

September 16th, 2024 at 5:27pm CST by Ben Levine

The injury issues keep piling up for the Rams. Days after placing wideout Puka Nacua on injured reserve, coach Sean McVay revealed that fellow star receiver Cooper Kupp will also miss “an extended period of time” (per ESPN’s Sarah Barshop).

Kupp missed the second half of yesterday’s loss to the Cardinals following a second-quarter ankle injury. The receiver was spotted wearing a boot after the game, and McVay has since acknowledged that the veteran may land on injured reserve.

This is a tough break for Kupp, who has missed time in each of the past two seasons. His 2022 season ended prematurely following a high ankle sprain that required surgery, and he missed the beginning of the 2023 campaign while nursing a hamstring issue. Kupp’s latter absence allowed Nacua to establish himself atop the depth chart, and there was plenty of optimism that the duo would emerge as one of the league’s top WR tandems in 2024.

Instead, Matthew Stafford will likely have to navigate the next month with the likes of Demarcus Robinson, Tyler Johnson, Tutu Atwell, and sixth-round rookie Jordan Whittington. We already got a preview of the Rams’ offensive struggles during yesterday’s game. Per Barshop, yesterday marked the first time Stafford failed to toss a touchdown since Week 1 of the 2023 campaign. That ended the second-longest active streak in the NFL (behind Kirk Cousins).

The injury news doesn’t stop there. Guard Jonah Jackson re-aggravated his shoulder injury and could also land on IR, per Barshop. The offseason acquisition dealt with a shoulder injury for much of training camp and the preseason but was able to make his way into the lineup for Week 1. Jackson’s injury will stress an already depleted OL depth chart that’s without Steve Avila and Joe Noteboom.

The injuries also extend to the defensive side of the ball, as Barshop reports that safety John Johnson III is also a candidate for IR while dealing with a shoulder injury. Per NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, Johnson suffered a hairline fracture in his scapula and is expected to miss four to six weeks. The veteran defensive back started eight of his 17 appearances during his first season in Los Angeles in 2023.

Rams To Place WR Puka Nacua On IR; Nacua To Miss Five To Seven Weeks

September 15th, 2024 at 7:35am CST by Ben Levine

SEPTEMBER 15: Nacua is expected to miss five to seven weeks, per ESPN’s Adam Schefter. While the wideout could still return as early as Week 7, this timeframe puts him in danger of missing that Week 7 bout with the Raiders as well as the Rams’ Week 8 contest against the Vikings (which is a Thursday night game).

SEPTEMBER 9: Puka Nacua‘s knee injury will keep him off the field for the next four weeks. Coach Sean McVay told reporters that the wideout will be placed on injured reserve. The Rams have a bye during Week 6, so the earliest Nacua can return to the field is Week 7.

McVay also revealed that Nacua’s latest injury is a continuation of a nagging knee issue that forced him to miss several weeks during training camp. McVay said Nacua aggravated his knee injury in a “more significant” manner (per Jourdan Rodrigue of The Athletic), and the wideout was officially diagnosed with a PCL sprain. The second-year wideout hauled in four catches last night before limping off the field during the second quarter. He briefly returned to the contest before exiting for good.

The 2023 fifth-round pick set the NFL rookie records for receptions (105) and receiving yards (1,486), earning him All-Pro and All-Rookie team honors. He only got into 12 games alongside Cooper Kupp in 2023, and the Rams will now be extra reliant on the 31-year-old wideout over the next month. Both Demarcus Robinson and Tyler Johnson saw increased roles following Puka’s exit on Sunday night, and tight end Colby Parkinson also contributed four receptions.

The Rams’ injury issues don’t end there. Offensive lineman Steve Avila suffered an MCL sprain and is also a candidate for injured reserve, per Rodrigue. Avila is also on track to miss at least four games, Rodrigue adds, even though the team has not yet placed him on IR yet.

The 2023 second-round pick earned All-Rookie team honors after starting all 17 games as a rookie, but he could end up missing a handful of weeks during his sophomore campaign. Avila started at left guard last night and was later replaced by sixth-round rookie Beaux Limmer, who bumped Jonah Jackson from center to left guard. Jackson will move back to LG, McVay said. The Rams signed Jackson to play left guard but shuttled him to center recently; a four-year Lions starter, Jackson played LG for nearly his entire time in Detroit.

Left tackle Joe Noteboom is week-to-week with an ankle injury. The lineman was limited to 27 snaps before being replaced by practice squad callup AJ Arcuri. Starting right guard Kevin Dotson didn’t miss a snap last night, but McVay said the lineman is day-to-day while recovering from a lateral ankle sprain.

Rams Likely To Move Jonah Jackson To C

August 30th, 2024 at 3:01pm CST by Nikhil Mehta

Rams head coach Sean McVay is “leaning towards” installing offensive lineman Jonah Jackson as the team’s starting center, according to The Athletic’s Jordan Rodrigue.

Jackson signed with the Rams on a three-year, $51MM deal back in March after spending the first four years of his career with the Lions. A shoulder injury in training camp sidelined him for the preseason, but he has been taking reps at center as he ramps up to return.

Jackson has spent almost his entire career at guard, with just 24 career snaps at center — in Week 18 of the 2021 season — per Pro Football Focus. But the Rams are returning both of their starting guards in recently extended Kevin Dotson and 2023 second-round pick Steve Avila, so Jackson’s move to center allows McVay to get his five best offensive linemen on the field.

Avila frequently played center at TCU but worked as a guard — as since-departed Coleman Shelton manned the Rams’ center post last season — as a rookie. Avila’s mobility at guard is crucial to Los Angeles’ offensive scheme, according to Rodrigue. That said, Avila spent the offseason back at center, as Shelton signed with the Bears, only to be moved back to guard just before the regular season. That will make for an interesting transition for the former Big 12 standout.

McVay also announced that third-year running back Kyren Williams will be the team’s punt returner, per ESPN’s Sarah Barshop. Williams seized the Rams’ RB1 job last season with 1,350 yards from scrimmage and 15 touchdowns in just 12 games and is set to reprise his role this season. His new special teams gig could indicate that his offensive touches will go down with former Michigan standout Blake Corum also on the roster.

It is worth noting that McVay also handed the punt returning job to Cooper Kupp in 2021. He went on to lead the NFL in receptions, receiving yards, and touchdowns on his way to Offensive Player of the Year honors. Kupp’s punt returning duties did not impact his workload; instead, he simply fair caught 20 out his 21 punt returns in the regular season, per PFF. McVay may be employing a similar strategy this year: get the ball in the safest hands possible to avoid any costly muffed punts.

The rest of the Rams’ 53-man roster has taken shape over the last week, with Cobie Durant as the primary backup to outside cornerbacks Tre’Davious White and Darious Williams, writes Rodrigue. Third-year defensive back Quentin Lake is expected to start at the ‘star’ position in the Rams’ sub packages where he will operate as a safety, nickelback, or dimeback depending on the play call.

Load More Posts