The Bears cut two veterans who were drafted by former general manager Ryan Pace and combined to make three Pro Bowl appearances.
Safety Eddie Jackson, who had a resurgence under coach Matt Eberflus, and center/guard Cody Whitehair were released Thursday. Both had contracts set to pay them an outsize amount in 2024.
Whitehair’s departure was a near-certainty. He was benched last season after having issues with his snap accuracy and was due a $13.25 million cap hit in 2024. Jackson, who had four interceptions in 2022 and one last year, had an $18.1 million cap hit due to him in 2024.
The Bears will pay about $10 million in dead-cap charges to the two players and free up about $21 million in cap space. They have an estimated $70 million in cap room entering the offseason, which will be enough to give cornerback Jaylon Johnson the franchise tag — and, perhaps by the summer, a multiyear contract extension — and still have plenty of room to sign free agents.
Jackson and Whitehair were clear-eyed about their future as the season was winding down.
“Lord willing, I hope I’m here next year,” Jackson said in late December. “God always has a plan, so I feel like I’ll always land on my feet. I hope it’s here.”
Whitehair said moments after the season-ending loss to the Packers that being benched was “tough” but that he planned to play in 2024, whether it be with the Bears or another team.
The 30-year-old Jackson was one of Pace’s best draft picks: a fourth-rounder from Alabama coming off a broken leg who reached the Pro Bowl in his second and third seasons.
In his second year, Jackson had six interceptions. He totaled three defensive touchdowns, which led the NFL, en route to an All-Pro honor. Jackson was revitalized under Eberflus, winning the team’s Ballhawk Award in 2022 despite having his season cut short by a Lisfranc injury to his foot.
General manager Ryan Poles praised Jackson’s communication with second-year strong safety Jaquan Brisker, whom the Bears consider an up-and-coming star, this season.
“When Eddie was in, you could tell Brisker felt really, really comfortable,” Poles said last month.
The 31-year-old Whitehair, a second-round pick in 2016, admitted he wondered whether he’d get cut last offseason. Instead, the Bears moved him from guard back to center.
He totaled only 87 snaps there, though, because of injuries to linemen and a series of erratic snaps on Oct. 15 that allowed Lucas Patrick to supplant him. Whitehair didn’t play another snap at center, serving as a backup guard in the second half of the season.
chicago.suntimes.com
Safety Eddie Jackson, who had a resurgence under coach Matt Eberflus, and center/guard Cody Whitehair were released Thursday. Both had contracts set to pay them an outsize amount in 2024.
Whitehair’s departure was a near-certainty. He was benched last season after having issues with his snap accuracy and was due a $13.25 million cap hit in 2024. Jackson, who had four interceptions in 2022 and one last year, had an $18.1 million cap hit due to him in 2024.
The Bears will pay about $10 million in dead-cap charges to the two players and free up about $21 million in cap space. They have an estimated $70 million in cap room entering the offseason, which will be enough to give cornerback Jaylon Johnson the franchise tag — and, perhaps by the summer, a multiyear contract extension — and still have plenty of room to sign free agents.
Jackson and Whitehair were clear-eyed about their future as the season was winding down.
“Lord willing, I hope I’m here next year,” Jackson said in late December. “God always has a plan, so I feel like I’ll always land on my feet. I hope it’s here.”
Whitehair said moments after the season-ending loss to the Packers that being benched was “tough” but that he planned to play in 2024, whether it be with the Bears or another team.
The 30-year-old Jackson was one of Pace’s best draft picks: a fourth-rounder from Alabama coming off a broken leg who reached the Pro Bowl in his second and third seasons.
In his second year, Jackson had six interceptions. He totaled three defensive touchdowns, which led the NFL, en route to an All-Pro honor. Jackson was revitalized under Eberflus, winning the team’s Ballhawk Award in 2022 despite having his season cut short by a Lisfranc injury to his foot.
General manager Ryan Poles praised Jackson’s communication with second-year strong safety Jaquan Brisker, whom the Bears consider an up-and-coming star, this season.
“When Eddie was in, you could tell Brisker felt really, really comfortable,” Poles said last month.
The 31-year-old Whitehair, a second-round pick in 2016, admitted he wondered whether he’d get cut last offseason. Instead, the Bears moved him from guard back to center.
He totaled only 87 snaps there, though, because of injuries to linemen and a series of erratic snaps on Oct. 15 that allowed Lucas Patrick to supplant him. Whitehair didn’t play another snap at center, serving as a backup guard in the second half of the season.
Bears cut Eddie Jackson, Cody Whitehair
The Bears are cutting two veterans who were drafted by former general manager Ryan Pace and combined to make three Pro Bowl appearances.
chicago.suntimes.com
