The terms of Bears safety Eddie Jackson's four-year, $58.4 million contract extension have finally leaked, and it's a surprisingly cap-friendly deal for the Bears in 2020.
Chicago began the 2020 offseason with a challenging salary-cap situation. The Bears ranked in the bottom six teams for available cap space, which made Jackson's mega-deal somewhat surprising. But general manager Ryan Pace structured its terms in a way that keeps Chicago in play to land a few free agents this March.
Jackson's new deal will account for just $3.71 million against the cap this season, and when factoring Kyle Long's retirement and the more than $8 million in savings it provided, the Bears have $14.5 million in remaining cap space.
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The cap-savings in Jackson's contract won't last long, however. Here's how his contract breaks down over the next five seasons (in millions):
- 2020: $3.71
- 2021: $11.45
- 2022: $13.5
- 2023: $15.5
- 2024: $16.55
Remember: Pace can free up even more spending power by releasing cornerback Prince Amukamara and rescinding Leonard Floyd's fifth-year option. Those two moves alone would create an additional $21 million in cap room.
With Jackson's deal factored in, the Bears currently rank 28th in cap room, ahead of only the Falcons, Steelers, Jaguars and Vikings.
