The Bears will be without Tremaine Edmunds in 2026. Fellow linebacker D’Marco Jackson will remain in the fold, however.
Jackson has agreed to a two-year deal with Chicago, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reports. His new Bears contract is two years in length and it has a base value of $7.5MM. The pact can max out at $10.5MM, Rapoport adds. Today’s deal is now official.
Jackson will earn a solid raise after upping his stock last year in Chicago, which added him as a waiver claim in August. The Saints cut Jackson after the 2022 fifth-rounder from Appalachian State was unable to carve out a role in their defense. Jackson spent his rookie year on injured reserve and then played almost exclusively on special teams from 2023-24.
Edmunds and T.J. Edwards missed various periods with injuries last season, leaving Jackson to take on more defensive responsibilities. Across 17 games (four starts) and a career-high 261 defensive snaps, Jackson totaled 43 tackles, three passes defensed, a sack and an interception. He earned NFC Defensive Player of the Week honors for his performance in Week 15. The 27-year-old logged nine tackles, a sack and a pick in a 31-3 blowout of the Browns.
Although Edmunds is now a Giant, Jackson will once again function as a reserve next season. The Bears will use Edwards and Devin Bush as their top two linebackers. They agreed to sign Bush, previously a Brown, to a three-year, $30MM deal on Monday.
Adam La Rose contributed to this post.
That’s good news. He was very valuable last year.
Agreed, and fair deal for both sides.
Now just re sign McFadden and Stromberg and those will be the next pieces as depth. Can’t wait to see if they can swing a few renegotiations so they get a few more bucks. Sometime by Wed. I hope to see something happen.