Chicago Bears have issued a statement of intent after locking up safety Eddie Jackson for another four years.
The 26-year-old former Alabama college star will remain at Soldier Field up until the end of 2024 after putting pen to paper on a four-year contract extension.
Jackson was a fourth-round pick by the Bears in 2017. He quickly became a fan favorite scoring five defensive touchdowns in his first two seasons in the NFL.
“The most important part is bringing that Super Bowl trophy back to Chicago. I’m not going to stop until I can’t go no more.”@BoJack39 on extension and “unfinished business.”
📰: https://t.co/kskAIx4S6h pic.twitter.com/rBl060vB7s— Chicago Bears (@ChicagoBears) January 4, 2020
There are only three other players in Chicago’s history that have scored more defensive touchdowns for the franchise. They are Charles Tillman (9), Mike Brown (7) and Lance Briggs (6).
Despite the Bears not having the best campaigns this time out, Jackson has been voted to the Pro Bowl for the second successive season.
Jackson has started 46 of a possible 48 games in three seasons with the Bears. He missed two matches at the end of 2018 with an ankle injury. He picked up that injury as he picked off Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers.
Speaking about the new deal, Jackson told the club website: “It means a lot.”
“I love Chicago. I appreciate the McCaskey family, Mr. Pace, coach [Matt] Nagy, like I said, for them to even give me the opportunity, to believe in me.
“There’s still a lot of unfinished business out there. The most important part is bringing that Super Bowl trophy back to Chicago. I’m not going to stop until I can’t go no more. That’s one thing they’ll get from me. I want to retire a Chicago Bear and I want to do that after I help bring the Super Bowl to the city.”
Bears general manager Ryan Pace added: “We’re very excited to get this deal done with Eddie to keep him in a Bears uniform long-term.
“It’s rare to find a player in this league with talent like Eddie’s. He’s a rangy ball hawk with exceptional IQ, a great teammate and a natural leader. He is the anchor to the back end of our defense and we are fortunate to have him.”
