Details of Jonah Jackson's contract extension show troubling financials for Chicago Bears

The Chicago Bears gave guard Jonah Jackson a one-year contract extension after trading for him from the Los Angeles Rams, making him the most expensive guard in the NFL in 2026.

Oct 3, 2021; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Detroit Lions offensive guard Jonah Jackson (73) looks on before the game against the Chicago Bears at Soldier Field. / Quinn Harris-Imagn Images

When the Chicago Bears traded for guard Jonah Jackson from the Los Angeles Rams, general manager Ryan Poles quickly followed that up with a one-year contract extension.

The details of that extension are now public on the salary cap-tracking website Spotrac, and one number in particular is shocking.

The new contract allowed the Bears to lower Jackson's cap hit this year from $17.5 million down to $10.5 million, so Poles would have more room to sign the likes of Drew Dalman, Dayo Odeyingbo and Grady Jarrett.

The problem is, he had to move that money into the future, and Jackson's price tag for next year is astronomical.

Jonah Jackson's projected $25 million salary cap hit in 2026 would be the most expensive cap hit of any guard in the NFL https://t.co/SaQMOiOvrl

— Lorin Cox (@CoxSports1) March 19, 2025

Spotrac says that Jackson is set to cost the Bears $25 million against the salary cap in 2026. As it stands now, that would be the highest cap hit of any guard in the NFL next year and the seventh-highest of any offensive lineman.

For comparison, Kansas City Chiefs guard Trey Smith currently has the highest cap hit for a guard in 2025 at $23.4 million on the franchise tag.

Jackson will be the Bears' third most expensive cap hit in 2026 behind DJ Moore and Montez Sweat.

As part of his trade to the #Bears, G Jonah Jackson received a one-year contract extension through 2027 and added guarantees in ’26 ($7 million fully gtd, $5.25m more for injury).

He’ll get all $17.5 million he was slated to earn this season in the deal he signed with the #Rams. pic.twitter.com/5MhIjJCcKs

— Mike Garafolo (@MikeGarafolo) March 14, 2025

And it's not as though Poles made it easy to get out from under his massive salary if something goes wrong this season.

If the Bears wanted to release Jackson after 2025, they would save less than $6 million in cap space and still have to pay him over $19 million not to play for the team in 2026.

The team is essentially locked into the veteran guard at $10.5 million this year and $25 million next year before they could more easily get out of the deal in 2027.

Poles and Ben Johnson better hope Jackson returns to the Pro Bowl form he had in Detroit and that his injury history doesn't follow him to Chicago, or else they'll be paying a lot of money for a guard that isn't living up to his contract.

I’m seeing folks say trust Ben Johnson, but is he a doctor? Because Jonah Jackson outside of play, has been consistently hurt or questionable for 3-4 years now. He made a PB in 2021, when Anthony Lynn was OC.

The whole guard market was overpaid, but it’s ok to be skeptical. https://t.co/qJ006PoGht

— B (@BShulkes) March 19, 2025

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