Eddie Jackson’s draft stock tumbled when he was carted off the field at Bryant-Denny Stadium on Oct. 22, 2016. It only worsened when the Alabama safety had a rod inserted to stabilize his broken left leg, forcing Jackson to miss NFL Scouting Combine drills. He fell to the fourth round of the draft, where Bears general manager Ryan Pace traded up five spots to draft him No. 112 overall in 2017.
That uncertainty feels so long ago.
Less than three-and-a-half years later, Jackson agreed to a four-year deal Friday worth $58.4 million, with $33 million guaranteed. The annual salary of $14.