Former first-team All-Pro safety Eddie Jackson has agreed to a one-year contract with the Baltimore Ravens, as announced by the NFL team on Friday afternoon.
Jackson, an Alabama alumnus, had spent his entire seven-year NFL career with the Chicago Bears before being released on February 15 with one year left on a $58.4 million contract.
Last season, the Ravens had three safeties who started at least 11 games and played more than 54 percent of the team’s defensive snaps. Kyle Hamilton and Marcus Williams will return, but Geno Stone, who recorded seven interceptions in 2023, left via free agency.
Baltimore’s veteran players are set to report for training camp on Saturday.
Jackson was selected by the Bears in the fourth round of the 2017 NFL Draft after missing the final seven games of Alabama’s 2016 season due to a broken leg suffered in a game against Texas A&M on October 22.
In his first three NFL seasons, Jackson intercepted 10 passes, recovered five fumbles, and scored five touchdowns. He was a first-team All-Pro in his second season and made the Pro Bowl again in his third.
The Bears signed Jackson to a $58.4 million extension with one season left on his rookie contract, aiming to keep him through the 2024 season. However, Chicago then shifted his role from free safety to strong safety, where he did not intercept any passes in 2020 or 2021.
After drafting safety Jaquan Brisker in 2022, the Bears moved Jackson back to free safety, where he recorded four interceptions despite missing five games.
In 2023, Jackson again missed five games due to injuries and had a career-low 37 tackles and 645 defensive snaps, compared to an average of 70.3 tackles and 927.5 defensive snaps in his first six seasons.
The Bears released Jackson in February, saving $12.56 million against the salary cap in 2024.
Jackson started all 100 regular-season games he played with the Bears, the most for an Alabama alumnus in franchise history, but left Chicago five games short of John Mangum’s record for the most games played for the Bears by an Alabama alumnus.
The Ravens’ preseason begins on August 9 against the Philadelphia Eagles, and their regular season starts on September 5 against the Kansas City Chiefs in the first game of the NFL’s 2024 season.
