Former Bears All-Pro safety Eddie Jackson has agreed in principle to a one-year contract with the Ravens, the team announced on Friday.
The Bears cut Jackson, 30, and veteran offensive lineman Cody Whitehair last February, opening up north of $21 million in cap space for the team. The cuts helped the Bears to the third-most cap space in the NFL. Jackson's $5.5 million dead cap price is the highest dead money the Bears will carry this season.
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The moves to cut both the veterans was a cap-saving strategy by the front office. Ryan Poles shared details behind his thought process of the moves at the NFL Combine in March.
"I know we put a piece out on them, but I just wanted to say thank you to them for what they've done for the Bears," Poles said. "We felt like it was the right time to give them an opportunity to test the market and see what's out there for them. I wanted to do right by them and do it as early as possible so they can put their plans in place."
Jackson was once an All-Pro cornerback in 2019. And despite struggling between 2020-21, he bounced back with a four-interception season in 2022. He didn't have a stellar year in 2023, but he finished with an interception, five pass breakups and 37 tackles.
He's played all seven seasons of his NFL career with the Bears. Under former GM Ryan Pace's management, the Bears selected Jackson in the fourth round of the 2017 NFL Draft with the No. 112 overall pick. It was undoubtedly one of the best draft selections of Pace's tenure.
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Jackson joins the league's best defense from the 2023 season in the Ravens. They allowed a league-leading 16.2 points per game to their opponents last season. Jackson will also reunite with former Bears teammate Roquan Smith, who finished sixth in tackles last season, recording 158 takedowns.